Life and Love
by StarWing13
Summary: What can one call a perfect life? One filled with gracious role models and close friends always at your side? Spyro has all of that, and more, yet something's troubling him. The idea of love is an elusive and rare thing, and it's the one thing the purple dragon is missing to be truly happy. Will he find that missing link once the stunning black dragoness, Cynder, arrives? AU
1. News of a Guest

Chapter 1: News of a Guest

"Spyro, get your fat, purple butt up," called a voice, waking the purple dragon from his sleep. The sun had risen and its light began to peer into the young dragon's room in the dragon temple in Warfang, the dragon city.

The room was square and a good size for any dragon. It had a mirror on the left wall with respect to the door that lead from the outside hallway into the room. A bookcase was on the opposite side of the room filled with books on dragon history, elements, and more. The large sleeping cushion bed was on the back wall, with an opening on the left that led to a small balcony that overlooked Warfang—perfect for watching sunrises. To him, the room was bigger than he needed, but he didn't complain. He liked the extra space. He stood up, got off his bed, and stretched his legs and flapped his gold-orange colored wings a few times to stretch them.

"Come on. The Guardians want to talk to us."

Spyro looked to the source of the voice and replied, "Don't you mean me, but you are just coming along just because, Sparx?"

The yellow dragonfly shrugged with one of his dumb grins and answered, "Well, yeah. It's what I do."

Spyro rolled his eyes with a smile and said, "Come on then." The two started to the Guardians' chamber to see what they wished to discuss with them.

Spyro and Sparx were brothers, adopted brothers. When Spyro was just an egg, he was placed in a dragon temple not far from a swamp, just off of the Silver River. There were rumors of a regiment of apes that were planning to attack the temple, and the Guardians acted. To be safe in case the rumors were true, they took as many eggs as they could away from the temple. Spyro's egg was one of the last. Not knowing how much time was left, the Fire Guardian, Ignitus, took the egg to the Silver River and placed it in a mushroom top and let it float away, hoping that it would be safe, and flew fast back to the temple. The rumors turned out to be true. Apes came close to the temple and the dragons there fought the apes. When the apes were defeated, the eggs were either returned to the temple or the parents took them back. All were accounted for, all but the purple egg. Ignitus searched to no avail. He concluded that either the egg was found by someone, or destroyed. He prayed that the first was true. The ancestors seemed to smile on him, because the egg was found by a dragonfly family, and when the egg hatched, it revealed a purple dragon who they named Spyro.

Spyro spent the majority of his life with his dragonfly parents and brother, thinking that he too was a dragonfly, until a fateful day. Sparx got into trouble with bulb spiders, and to help his brother, Spyro accidently breathed fire. Fortunately, that same day, Ignitus flew in and found him with his family, as Spyro tried to explain to his adopted parents what had happened. Ignitus introduced himself and explained what had happened the night at the temple and told Spyro that he was a dragon. Spyro took the revelation with some difficulty. Knowing that his parents weren't really his parents at all was hard for him. Even harder was that Ignitus didn't know who his real parents were. After receiving comfort from his adopted family, Ignitus invited Spyro to live in the dragon city with other dragons, and to train him to uses his newly found elements. Since Spyro was a purple dragon, he could use all four: fire, electricity, ice, and earth. Spyro agreed on the condition that his family could come. Ignitus agreed, but Spyro's adopted parents declined the offer saying that the swamp was their home, but Sparx could go with Spyro and Ignitus if he wanted. Of course Sparx agreed saying that, "brothers stick together, even if one of them has some weight issues." After everything was said and done, Spyro and Sparx left with Ignitus to live in Wafang. That was nearly four years ago.

"What do you think that the Guardians want to talk about?" asked Spyro to his adopted brother.

"I don't know," answered Sparx as they passed through the main corridor. The corridor was the main entrance and exit into the temple. On both sides, opposite of the entrance, the path lead to hallways with rooms. The students were on the left side, and the Guardians and any other adults that visited were on the right. "I just hope it's nothing bad." Sparx continued, earning a nod from Spyro as they entered the Guardians' corridor.

"When are you going to visit mom and dad again?" asked Spyro changing the subject.

"Don't know," the dragonfly shrugged, "Maybe in a few days. Are you coming along too?"

Smiling, Spyro replied, "Unfortunately, being a rare, purple dragon, I have to train. Hopefully, I can get time off to visit."

"The way Terrador trains, good luck with that," Sparx said with smirk.

As they arrived to the Guardians' chamber, the large, wooden door opened as they came near it. Inside they saw all four Guardians siting on their haunches around a small pool, the Pool of Visions.

"Hello, young Spyro," said the large, red dragon, "How are you this morning?"

"I'm fine, Ignitus," replied Spyro, letting out a yawn. He looked to the other three dragons. "Volteer, Cyril, Terrador, how are you?" Spyro asked kindly.

"Fine, thank you," all three said in unison.

Volteer spoke, "We are just waiting for Blaze, Glacia, Volt, and Terrain."

"I'm here," came a voice. Spyro, Sparx, and the Guardians looked to the entrance of the chamber to see a dragon walk in. He was a yellow electric dragon with dark grey horns, underbelly, and wings. The dragon's eye color was grey as well. His name was Volt. Volt had a vast vocabulary like Volteer. However, unlike the Electric Guardian, Volt knows when to use smaller words for others to understand. He was very intelligent and friendly, but can be a little shy, although once he comes out of his shell, he was the kind of dragon everyone likes to hang around with. "Good morning, Spyro."

"Good morning Volt. Where is-"

"Morning," an earth dragon said walking in. The earth dragon, Terrain, had green scales with a brown underbelly, wings, and horns which curved back like Terrador's. His tail was also similar to the Earth Guardian's, but was more in the shape of a spherical rock without the small spikes. He had brown eyes. He was one of the silent types in public and in front of elders, but when around his friends he is very open. He was a nice dragon at heart, but if he gets angry, everyone knows that there is a problem. "So what do you need to discuss with us?" Terrain asked the Guardians.

"We will start when Blaze and Glacia are here," Ignitus answered, "which should be about now."

Not a second after he finished, two dragons appeared from behind the door. The red scaled dragon had orange-red underbelly and wings. His horns were like Ignitus', but were light brown. His tail spade was in the shape of a flame, and his eyes were green. His name was Blaze, Spyro's closest friend next to Sparx. Blaze was a confident dragon with a heart of fire, although he can get hot headed when he is angry, especially if his friends are in trouble. He also enjoys a good joke, especially when he is the one making them.

Blaze had a wing draped over a dragoness next him. She was an ice dragoness that had light blue scales and a white underbelly and wings. She had two white horns that were in the shape similar to Cyril's, and her tail spade had multiple spikes sticking out on the end. Her eyes were sapphire blue. Her name was Glacia, and she was Blaze's girlfriend. She was very kind and loves to help others with problems, but she isn't afraid to speak her mind. Like Blaze, she will stand up to her friends if necessary.

"About time," stated Volt.

The couple rolled their eyes, but said nothing. Ignitus walked up to the two dragons. "From what I understand, Glacia was in your room and didn't come out. I certainly hope you weren't doing anything you shouldn't be."

"Dad!" Blaze replied, a blush forming on his cheeks. Glacia too was going red. Ignitus laughed at the fire-ice couple's reaction.

"Now Ignitus," came a feminine voice, "you should know that you and I were like them when we were younger." A red dragoness walked in.

"Hey mom," said Blaze. The dragoness had an orange underbelly and wings. She had two white horns and green eyes. Her tail blade was shaped like a flame, a trait that Blaze inherited.

"It is good to see you too, son," she said giving her son a nuzzle. When she broke the nuzzle, she looked at Glacia, "How are you, sweetie?"

"I'm fine. Thank you, Incendia." The adult dragoness nodded and walked to Ignitus and gave him a nuzzle.

"I would think that you would give him time off. I may live here with you, but that doesn't mean I like being alone."

Ignitus nuzzled his mate and replied, "I know, but he must train to take up the position of Fire Guardian when my time is up." Blaze was Ignitus' apprentice to become the next Fire Guardian.

Incendia spoke again, "Yes, but why does Cyril need an apprentice? In fact, why does Volteer need an apprentice? He is the youngest of you, and the youngest Guardian ever!" Ignitus was the eldest of the Guardians with Terrador not too much younger. Cyril was several years younger than Terrador, and Volteer was younger than him.

Volt was Volteer's apprentice to be the next Electric Guardian, and Terrain was Terrador's apprentice to be the next Earth Guardian. Glacia was training under Cyril, but with her relationship with Blaze, the Guardians said that if another capable dragon with just as much skill came along, then they would replace Glacia. This is to keep balance amongst the Guardians so that there is no inner quarrel. However, this was close to a year ago, and apprentices train from two to four years, sometimes even more. Glacia is officially the Ice Guardian Apprentice.

As an egg, Volt was also at the temple with Spyro. Glacia's and Terrain's eggs, however, didn't go to the temple, their parents kept them while in Warfang. Blaze, however, had already hatched a few weeks earlier. While Ignitus and the other Guardians were at the temple, Incendia watched and cared for the little hatchling, Blaze.

After the fiasco with the apes, Volt's parents took him back and awaited for him to hatch. Blaze was still under the watchful eye of his mother in Warfang. In order of age, Blaze was the oldest, followed by: Spyro, Volt, Terrain, and Glacia. They all were 19 years old.

Volteer spoke up, "Yes, I am aware of my unusual youth as a Guardian, but I thought it best to have an apprentice in case it was time to have a new generation of Guardians, and that is this generation." He gestured to the four young dragons to state his point.

"Oh yes, Volteer, we all know your… incredible feat to become a Guardian at such a young age," Cyril said with slight sarcasm. "All that is missing is to control that tongue of yours, and maybe then you can talk to a dragoness properly."

Volteer gave the Ice Guardian a cold glare. "Let me assure you Cyril, if I need help in arrogance I will go straight to you."

Before Cyril could comment back Terrador's voice boomed, "Enough! Both of you!" The room became dead silent.

"Thank you Terrador," Ignitus thanked. "Now everyone, we have a matter to address."

"Is there a problem?" Glacia asked, as they all took their respective place beside their masters with Incendia remaining in her initial position next to her mate. Spyro always stood with Ignitus. He viewed the Fire Guardian as a father figure ever since he arrived to Warfang. Sparx flew in place next to Spyro.

"No," answered Terrador, "we will be having a guest later today."

"Who?" asked Volt a bit nervous, "is it another gifted dragon, or maybe an elder coming to oversee our training, or…"

"No, no," Volteer cut in.

"It is nothing like that, young champ," said Cyril, calming the electric dragon's nerves. "Well actually…"

Ignitus took over for Cyril and said, "Your first guess was partly correct, though young Volt. A dragon is coming to Warfang for a while, though we don't know for how long yet. The dragon is none other than the purple dragon Malefor." The young dragons all gasped in unison. Everyone knew the purple dragon, Malefor. He was considered the most powerful dragon in the realms. To some, in dragon history. Spyro was the only other purple dragon. The difference between the two, other than age, was that Malefor had complete mastery of the elements and Spyro was still in training. Spyro is, however, very proficient in all four of the elements, especially fire.

"When is he going to arrive?" asked Spyro.

"Some time later today," answered Ignitus, "Now, that being said, you all will have no training for the day. We figured that you would like to meet Malefor, and even ask him questions about your respective elements. Training will commence tomorrow at the usual time until next week. Understood?" Everyone nodded. Ignitus smiled and said, "Good, now go on get your breakfast, and enjoy the rest of your day. We will call for you when Malefor arrives." The five dragons walked out of the room with a dragonfly in tow.

"How are Emera and Boldor doing, Terrador?" asked Ignitus, wanting to know how his friend's mate and son were doing.

"Both are fine. Thank you," replied the earth guardian.

"Emera still lives in the city?" asked Incendia, "why not here at the temple?"

"She would rather not commute from the temple to work."

"Not to change the subject," interrupted Volteer, "but don't we have an event coming up that we should be discussing?"

"Yes we do," replied Igniuts.

* * *

As the group walked to the dining hall to get their breakfast Volt asked, "You guys excited to meet Malefor?"

"Meh, we have our own purple dragon right here," responded Blaze, giving Spyro a nudge.

Spyro said, "Well, I'm excited. I can finally meet another purple dragon."

"Well, you two are the only purple dragons in the realms," Terrain put in.

Spyro sighed and said, "I wish I was a one-of-a-kind dragon, like how I was a one-of-a-kind dragonfly." Everyone laughed at their purple friend's comment, all knowing about his life in the swamp.

Sparx put in, "Well, you were a bit on the fat side. You still are, so I say you skip breakfast."

Spyro simply rolled his eyes and responded, "Aren't you going to eat something"

"Naw, I'll just get some butterflies later. I'm not that hungry."

As they neared the dining hall, the door opened, and the group saw that they had their own guests.


	2. Loneliness

Chapter 2: Loneliness

The dining room was meant for the Guardians, their apprentices, and many other dragons, so it was large in size. At their usual table in the center on the room were their 'guests.' One was a yellow dragoness. Her underbelly and wings were grey with a blue tint and her horns were the same color, shaped like lightning bolts that curved up and slightly back. There was also a light green dragoness with light brown underbelly and wings. Her horns were the same color and size as Terrain's, but they didn't curve back quite as much.

With the two dragonesses was a silver dragonfly who flew straight to the group, more specifically a certain golden dragonfly.

"Sparx!" she shouted as she flew to Sparx and gave him a hug.

"Hey, Silver," Sparx said hugging his girlfriend back, "what are you doing here?"

"Well, I decided to visit Warfang to be with you. Isn't that what couples do?"

"Aaawww, that's so cute," replied the yellow dragoness, walking up to Volt and giving him a kiss on the side of his muzzle. Volt's only reaction was a shy smile and a blush forming on his cheeks. "Isn't it Volt?"

"Yeah… it is, Electra," Volt managed to say.

Electra giggled, nuzzling him, and said, "You're so cute when you're shy." This caused the poor electric dragon to blush even more.

Blaze laughed and said, "Careful Volt, I think your face is getting as red as my scales."

The light green dragoness, Gaia, walked up next to Terrain and said, "Give him a break." Terrain rubbed his snout to hers affectionately.

"So," Blaze said, "you girls here to visit your boyfriends?" They all nodded. "Okay, well, we should get breakfast. Do you want anything?"

"No," answered Silver, "We already ate, but we have breakfast for you." She pointed to the table and plates of meat that were set up.

"In that case," said Spyro, "Let's all sit down." The group of dragons took their places at the table. Spyro sat at the end of the table with Sparx and Silver flying in place next to him. In Spyro's perspective, Blaze sat on the right side of the table with Glacia next to him, then Electra and Volt. Terrain sat across from Blaze and Gaia sat across from Glacia.

"Guess who's coming to Warfang later today!" Volt said with excitement.

"Who?" all of the girls, except Glacia, asked.

Terrain answered, "Only the purple dragon, Malefor."

"Really?!" asked Electra not able to contain her excitement.

"Yup," answered Blaze, "I take it you all would like to meet him too?"

"Of course," replied Gaia.

A thought struck Volt, "That's right!" The group looked at the electric apprentice, waiting for him to continue. "The Warfang Ball is next week! That's why Ignitus said we train until then."

"Yeah, Volt, it's being held the same time of year it usually is," Blaze said sarcastically after eating a bit of his lamb, "I already asked Glacia during dinner a few nights ago."

Glacia smiled, "It was wonderful." She gave the fire dragon a kiss on the cheek.

Gaia spoke, "Terrain took me to the fountain and asked me," she nuzzled the earth apprentice. Terrain smiled and returned the gesture.

Electra giggled, resting her head on Volt's shoulder, and said, "Volt and I were walking around the temple's gardens when he asked me."

Volt sighed and said, "I was still nervous for some reason." The other couples laughed at the comment.

"Remember the first time we asked you girls to the ball?" asked Blaze, earning nods.

As the couples started reminiscing about the first time being asked, or asking to go to the Ball, Spyro stayed out of the conversation. He was lost in his thoughts as he ate his lamb.

_Well, I guess I'll be staying at the temple and training… again._

This was the time of year where all dragons would ask their mate, lover, or even boyfriend or girlfriend to go to the Warfang Ball, the biggest and happiest event in the city.

Unfortunately, Spyro never got the pleasure to go.

The purple dragon glanced at each of the happy couples enjoying each other's company. They talked about the upcoming event, with Sparx making plans with Silver to go to the swamp. Spyro saw how happy they were together and his heart sank. Everyone was busy with their training, or their relationship, even Sparx was spending more and more time in the swamp with Silver. He even moved back there, and lives with Spyro every-so-often. He glanced back down at his half eaten lamb and went back to his thoughts. _Blaze, Volt, Terrain, and even Sparx have found someone they love. Maybe… maybe I'm supposed to live my life alone with no one to…_

He didn't finish. He got up without a word and walked away from the table toward the door to leave.

Everyone gave each other questioning looks. "Spyro!" Blaze called out, "Where are you going? You didn't finish your lamb."

"I'm full," he lied and walked out of the room.

Silver looked at Sparx concerned, "Is he okay?"

Sparx waved his hand and said, "I don't know what goes on in that guy's head, but I'm sure it's nothing bad. Don't worry."

As everyone went back to their meals and conversations, Blaze stared at his empty plate, taking in the situation.

_What's wrong with Spyro? He was perfectly fine before breakfast. _

He looked at Glacia for an answer and received an 'are you serious?' look.

Glacia let out a soft sigh and said, "Hey, Blaze and I are done, so we'll see you all in the training room in a while, okay?"

"Sure thing," said Terrain, "see you guys later."

Glacia and Blaze stood up and walked out of the dining room. Glacia made them keep walking until she was sure that they were in private. When they were completely alone, she stopped and turned to Blaze. "You seriously don't know what is wrong with Spyro?" Glacia asked in an upset tone.

Blaze was a bit surprised at his love's tone and replied, "No, he was fine until breakfast."

Glacia rolled her eyes a bit and muttered, "Boys."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Blaze asked irritated, "Just out with it!"

Glacia was now getting angry, "Don't shout at me! It was obvious once the Warfang Ball was brought up. And what is the one Warfang event that Spyro never goes to?"

Blaze paused for a moment, putting all the pieces together, "The Warfang Ball."

"Blaze," Glacia said with a hurt tone, "Spyro is lonely. You have me, I have you, Volt has Electra, Sparx has Silver, and Terrain has Gaia. But Spyro? Spyro has no one, and him seeing all of us together is hurting him on the inside. I bet he bottles up his emotions just so that we don't feel bad."

Blaze turned his gaze away from the ice dragoness, feeling sorry for his close friend. "What can we do?"

Glacia brought her paw to his cheek to make him look at her. She then gave a loving kiss on his lips. Blaze closed his eyes and returned the kiss. After a few seconds, she pulled away and said, "We have to find Spyro and comfort him. He needs his friends."

Blaze nuzzled Glacia and whispered, "I'm sorry for shouting at you. I love you, Glacia."

Glacia smiled and replied, "It's okay. I'm also sorry doing the same to you, and I love you too Blaze."

"Now, let's find Spyro and see how he's doing." The fire-ice couple walked toward the apprentice and guest bedrooms to find Spyro.

* * *

Spyro was in his room staring at his reflection in a mirror, he hadn't said a word since he got in. He simply had walked into his room and stared at the mirror.

A knock came from his door indicating someone was there.

"Spyro?" He knew it was Blaze's voice, "Can we come in?"

"Sure, come in," Spyro answered as his door opened. He looked away from the mirror to see Blaze who had Glacia next to him.

"Hey Spyro. Is everything okay?" the fire apprentice asked.

"Yeah. Everything's fine… perfect." He turned his head back to looking at the mirror again, staring at his reflection.

Glacia walked over and sat next to the purple dragon. "Spyro, you're not a very good liar." The response she received was silence. "Spyro, I know-"

"No," he interrupted, "You don't. You and Blaze have been together for years. This will be your second Warfang Ball together. Heck, even the others are in similar relationships. All of you have someone to love, and seeing you two together or any other couple, reminds me what I don't have… and even may never will have at all." Spyro, at this point, was fighting tears from falling, and he was trying to not show his emotions.

Glacia and Blaze exchanged sad looks. Spyro was right. They couldn't relate to his loneliness.

"What is going on in here?" asked Incendia from the doorway.

"Hey mom," greeted Blaze, solemnity in his voice.

It didn't take long for the adult dragoness to figure out that there was a problem.

"Give me a few moments with him." Without a word, the young couple left the room. Incendia turned her attention to Spyro. "Now, what is the problem Spyro? Don't lie."

Spyro sighed and turned to face the fire dragoness. Incendia was the mother he never had. She knew him almost as much as she knew her own son. He never understood why she cared so much.

"It's just that… all my friends and brother have someone they love in their lives, but I don't. It hurts seeing how happy they are." Spyro forced a half-hearted laugh, looking away from Incendia, and said, "Don't I sound pathetic."

"No." Spyro looked back at the dragoness. "It is natural. You are missing the other half of yourself. I went through the same thing until I met Ignitus." She smiled at the memories of herself and Ignitus flooding her mind. "But you should know that you are not alone. There is someone in this temple that has the same troubles that you do."

Spyro was confused, "Who?"

"Can you guess?" she asked. When Spyro shook his head, she answered, "Volteer. He may not show it, but it is painfully obvious."

It struck the purple dragon, _He has to go. He has to go to the Ball because he is a Guardian._

"You have to remember, Spyro, you are not alone." She turned to walk out of the room.

"Incendia?"

"Yes?" she asked turning around to look at Spyro.

"Why are you always looking after me? Like…" Spyro paused from a moment, "Like a mother?"

Incendia smiled, walked back to Spyro, and brushed her muzzle against his cheek in a motherly fashion and replied, "Because I want you at least know what it is like to have a mother. Well, dragon mother."

Spyro smiled with tears in his eyes and nuzzled the fire dragoness back.

"Thank you."

She pulled away and said, "You are welcome Spyro." She left the room as Blaze and Glacia came back in.

Glacia spoke first.

"Spyro, any dragoness would be lucky to have you as their lover."

Spyro glanced away for a brief moment to dry his tears that were threatening to fall. He looked back at the ice dragoness and asked, "You really think so?"

Blaze sat on the other side of Spyro and said, "Yeah! I mean, you're smart, kind-hearted, strong, and you put others before yourself. The list goes on."

Spyro was still in silence, not sure what to say or do. Glacia spoke, "Spyro, look at this mirror again." Spyro did as he was told. "See that dragon?" He nodded. "Don't change him. Just be yourself."

Spyro looked at Glacia from the corner of his eye and said, "Thank you."

"That's what friends do. Now how about we go to the training room and do some elemental practice?"

"I'm game!" Blaze replied with a smile.

Spyro also smiled and said, "Sure, why not?" Then all three dragons left the purple dragon's room and made their way to the training room.


	3. Fun and Games

Chapter 3: Fun and Games

Spyro, Blaze, and Glacia entered the empty training room. The training room was large and circular with a square on the floor that rose about two feet up. This was used as a ring. On both sides of the door were storage compartments with targets and other training tools. The room was tall enough for dragons to do some flight training.

"I guess the others aren't here yet," said Blaze.

Spyro shrugged, "I'm sure they'll show up eventually. You two want to get started without them?"

"Sure. Their loss," answered Glacia, "What do you guys want to do?"

Spyro thought for a moment, "How about some target practice?"

Glacia gave the purple dragon a mischievous grin, "I bet I'm a better shot."

Spyro returned her grin, "Bring it!"

Blaze felt left out and asked, "What am I, lamb soup!?"

Spyro shook his head and said, "After I beat Glacia, you're next, Blaze."

Glacia sarcastically laughed, "Hahaha! Oh my, someone's confident." The ice dragoness walked over to one of the storage compartments and took hold of two targets with her paws, flew onto the ring, and set the target on the far side. Spyro and Blaze followed her actions and started to set up the targets in a row. After a moment, they had six targets lined up. Spyro and Glacia got into position on the opposite end and Blaze stayed back to give them space "So, purple boy. Let's just see who is better at shooting ice shards."

Spyro nodded and gestured his paw towards the targets. "Ladies first."

Glacia put her paw over her chest playfully and sighed, "Oh my, what a gentle dragon." She let out a giggle and shot an ice shard at the farthest left target. It was a bull's eye. She moved to the next and shot another shard, it hit just above the center red dot. She shot her last four shards at the last four targets, three were bull's eyes and the last just missed the center mark.

She looked at Spyro and said, "Your turn. No pressure." She then walked next to Blaze who nuzzled her.

Spyro walked over to one end of the row of targets and exhaled a small stream of hot air to melt Glacia's ice shards. After they melted, Spyro got back into position and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to relax himself. Once he was calm, he opened his eyes and shot six individual shards in quick succession, one after the other, with all of them hitting their designated targets. All bull's eyes.

He turned around and gave Glacia a smile and said, "That's how you do it, Glacia. Would you like to go best of three?" Spyro wished he could get a painting of the picture he saw, the fire-ice dragon couple had wide eyes and their jaws hung open, amazed at what they saw.

Glacia was the first to find her voice, "How… How did you do that?"

Spyro shrugged and answered, "Practice, I guess. Considering I don't go on dates, I have a lot of free time. That, and it's one of the many perks of being the purple dragon."

Blaze gave his friend a playful glare and replied, "Okay, oh magnificent purple dragon. Let's see just how good you are with fire balls. So, we are gonna play a game."

This caught Spyro's attention, "What kind of game?"

"Just something called Dodge Fireball. First to get hit by a fire ball loses," answered Blaze as he walked away from Glacia.

Spyro raised a brow and said, "That name sounds terrible." Spyro smirked, "But you're on!"

Glacia rolled her eyes thinking, _Boys and their games._ Glacia watched as the two dragons walked on opposite sides of the ring. Spyro was on the right side and Blaze was on the left. Glacia stepped off of the ring to not be involved when they started. The training room door opened and Volt, Electra, Gaia, and Terrain walked in.

"Hey guys," greeted the ice apprentice.

Spyro and Blaze watched their friends walk in. "So," started Terrain, "What are we about to watch?"

Blaze smiled and said, "Just a game of Dodge Fireball. Spyro here beat Glacia at ice shard target practice, and now I going to show him what a fire dragon can do."

The four dragons all raised a brow and Terrain said, "That name sounds terrible."

Spyro chuckled a bit and replied, "I said the same thing, but before we get started..." Spyro walked over to the targets and dragged them off of the ring so they didn't get in the way. "Now we can start," Spyro walked back to his side of the ring. He looked at his friends and asked, "Could you guys make sure we stay on our side of the ring? And where is Sparx and Silver?"

Electra answered, "Sure we will, and they went out."

"Did they say where?" Spyro asked, only to get heads moving right and left. The purple dragon glanced at his fire dragon opponent while he did the same.

"This is going to be so cool," Volt said, obviously excited, "We get to see the epic battle between the purple dragon and the fire guardian apprentice in the art of fire."

"Glacia, would you like to start us off?" asked Blaze.

"Of course," the ice dragoness answered, "Ready?" Spyro and Blaze widened their stances. "Set," the two dragons lowered their heads a bit. "GO!"

Spyro and Blaze launched fireballs at each other and the fiery orbs collided, causing a small explosion. Spyro jumped out of the smoke and fired another blast toward Blaze's direction. The fire dragon saw this and dove away from the incoming fireball. It exploded a few feet from him, but it didn't faze him. He fired his own at the purple dragon who dodged it by taking to the air. The purple dragon flapped his wing to maintain his height and launched fireball after fireball. The fire dragon did everything in his ability to dodge his friend's attacks.

The others looked in awe as the experts in fire were going all out.

"Wow," Terrain said dumbly.

"Yeah," replied Volt, "but Blaze is at a disadvantage unless he gets off the ground."

"This is great," Electra said turning to Glacia giving her a nudge, "you're so lucky to have Blaze." Glacia glanced away with a blush and gave the electric dragoness a slight nod.

"No kidding," said Gaia in agreement. Volt and Terrain, in-synch, slowly turned their heads to their respective girlfriends with glares on their faces, and with their jaws hanging. "Oh, relax you two," she said in a teasing manner.

Before they could go on, Blaze shot into the air to face Spyro in an aerial fight. Both dragons fired a fireball and the collision caused an explosion that covered the air with smoke. Spyro began to cough to get smoke out of his lungs. He landed on the ground to get away from the black cloud so he could see. It was a mistake. Blaze flew out of the haze and launched a barrage of fireballs. Spyro was able to dodge all the attacks, but Blaze didn't give Spyro an opening to retaliate. Spyro thought of a plan. He stopped in place, waiting for a fireball to come. As an incoming fireball closed in, the purple dragon dove forward. He rolled forward and slid on the ground on his back right under the fiery orb. As he was sliding, he launched a series of well-placed fireballs around Blaze, forcing the fire apprentice to retreat to the ground. Spyro got back to his feet, seeing that the fight would now be settled on the ground. Blaze and Spyro started each other for a brief moment. They launched a fireball, causing another explosion. Both dragons launched a second burning projectile blindly at each other in the smoke. Both fireballs exploded on the each other's side of the arena.

"I think it's over!" declared Volt, amazed at the two dragons' performance.

"Well, who won?" asked Glacia slightly shaking with anticipation.

The smoke started to clear, "We are about to find out," said Terrain.

The smoke cleared and revealed the scene. Spyro stood, panting a little, looking at his opponent. A burn mark was no more than three feet from him, indicating that he narrowly dodged the fire ball. Spyro saw the fire dragon laying on his right side on the ground with a slight burn mark on his left shoulder. Blaze was also panting. He looked to his purple friend with a small smile.

"You got me," the fire dragon stated.

As Spyro walked to his friend, the others went into a cheering frenzy and ran onto the ring. "That was awesome, you two!" declared Volt with excitement.

"No joke," added Electra, "You two were practically evenly matched!"

Glacia went to Blaze's side and gave her love a loving nuzzle and said, "You were great."

"Thanks," he said nuzzling back. Once they broke apart from their moment, he turned to Spyro and said, "You are something else Spyro."

Spyro let a smile creep onto his lips and replied, "I learned from the best, I guess."

Blaze acted offended and said, "Hey! What's that supposed to mean!?" the group laughed at the fire dragon's response as Glacia helped him up.

"That was quite the duel, you two," came a new voice, causing the group to look to the direction it came from. At the training room door stood Ignitus and the rest of the guardians, along with Incendia, who was standing next to her mate.

Spyro asked, "How long have you been here."

"Yeah," added Gaia, "and how did we not notice?"

Ignitus smiled at the five dragons, walked to the group, and said, "We have watched since just as your 'game' started, and I must say, Spyro, Blaze, you two displayed much promise."

"Yes," said Volteer with enthusiasm, "You both were extremely spectacular, marvelous, stupendous-"

Terrador cut of the fast tongued guardian, "Yes, though there is still room for improvement. Such as-"

Cyril rolled his eyes and cut off the earth guardian, "Now Terrador, let them enjoy their fine display of battle. I must say, in the future their capabilities could compete to those of my own ancestors."

Ignitus smiled at the two young dragons and said, "I am proud to be your teacher." He fixed his gaze to his son, "Blaze."

The younger fire dragon looked at his father. "Yeah, dad?"

"I know I am hard on you sometimes-" he was cut off when Incendia gave him a hard nudge. Ignitus sighed, "I mean most of the time. But I do it because I want people to see that I chose you to be my apprentice not because you are my son, but because you a great user of the fire element. I am very proud of you."

Blaze walked over, with a slight limp due to the burn, and hugged his father, "Thanks, dad."

Incendia leaned her head in and nuzzled her son, "We love you Blaze." Ignitus followed his mate's example and nuzzled his son. Blaze closed his eyes and smiled.

Everyone's face lit up at the touching moment of the family of fire dragons. Spyro couldn't help but think, _I wish I had my real family to have a moment like this._

The family broke up and Ignitus spoke, "We are also here to tell you that we expect Malefor to arrive in about half an hour or so." The younger dragons exchanged looks of anticipation, "So get cleaned up." Ignitus looked at his son again and said, "Blaze get some red gems to heal that wound." He directed his attention to the whole group and said, "Meet us in the main corridor in twenty-five minutes. Understood?"

"Yes, Master Ignitus," group said simultaneously. Ignitus smiled and left the room with the other older dragons.

"Alright," said Spyro, "I'm going to get cleaned up, I'll meet you guys in the main corridor in twenty-five minutes." The others nodded and said their good-byes as the purple dragon walked off.


	4. An Arrival Bringing Unsure Feelings

Chapter 4: An Arrival Bringing Unsure Feelings

Spyro walked into the bathing room. It was divided into multiple sections with tubs that were large enough for a dragon to bathe in and had plenty of extra space to dry off. Spyro got into the middle section and tuned the handle. With a twist from his paw, water began to run into the tub. The purple dragon waited on his haunches as the water level in the tub rose. When the tub was just less than three quarters full of water, Spyro turned the handle in the opposite direction, stopping the water. He took in a breath and exhaled a small stream of fire to heat up the water. Steam rose when the flames hit the liquid's surface. Spyro got into the tub, making the water level rise a bit, but not enough to over fill it. Spyro smiled and sighed at the perfect warmth of the water. He dunked his head under the water's surface for a brief moment and came back up. Spyro relaxed in the tub of warm water and thought, _This is nice._

After several minutes of relaxation he decided that it was time to get out. He unplugged the drain to let the water rush out of the tub. Once the water was completely gone, he got out and shook to get the water off of himself. He then walked out of the section he was in and exited the bathing room. He made his way to his room to wait out the next fifteen minutes. _I hope that no one looks down at me because Malefor is here. He is a master of all the elements after all, and I am still in training._ He got into his room and pulled out a book from his bookshelf on dragon history. He flopped onto the bed he turned to the page that had information on the purple dragons. There wasn't much, it only said that they are a very rare breed of dragons, and that they can use the four elements. Spyro let out a soft sigh, tossed the book aside, and rolled onto his back as his thoughts drifted to the conversation he had with Glacia and Blaze earlier. _Spyro, any dragoness would be lucky to have you as their lover. _Spyro let out a small snort and thought, _I've gone nineteen, almost twenty, years with no one. Why should anything change? _Then he thought about his brief conversation with Incendia,_Maybe soon that will all change,_ he thought with a more positive attitude. He picked the book up off of his bed, put it back in his bookshelf, and walked out of his room.

As he closed the door to his room, he saw Volt sitting on his haunches, "Hey, Volt," the purple dragon greeted.

Volt looked at Spyro and replied, "Hey Spyro. How are you?"

"I'm fine. I'm just heading to the main corridor. Where's Electra?"

Volt shook his head and pointed his snout toward a room on the other side of the hallway, "She is 'getting ready the meet the purple dragon.'" Volt let a sigh escape his lips, "It's not like she's going to the Ball or anything!"

Spyro laughed and said, "Well have fun. I'm off."

"Okay, see you in a few minutes… hopefully."

Spyro smiled at the comment and continued forward. After a bit of walking he entered the main corridor where the Guardians and Incendia were waiting. "Hello Spyro," Ignitus greeted, "Are you ready to meet the other purple dragon?"

Spyro nodded and replied, "Yeah, I guess."

Ignitus looked at his pupil and asked in a low voice so the others couldn't hear, "What is the matter, Spyro?"

Spyro looked at his master and said, "I'm just afraid that everyone will compare me to Malefor and think less of me."

Ignitus chuckled and said, "Young dragon, remember that Malefor has spent years to master his elements. You, however, are still a student. But fear not, one day you will master your elements and," Ignitus leaned his head closer to Spyro's and whispered, "Maybe even surpass Malefor." Ignitus gave the purple dragon a wink.

Spyro smiled and walked over to towards Terrain and Gaia, who had just arrived.

"Hey, Spyro," said Terrain. "How are you?"

Spyro replied, "Good, just ready to meet Malefor. Also, I'm waiting for you guys."

"Sorry," the earth apprentice apologized, "We're late because-"

Spyro cut him off, "Because you had to wait for Gaia to get ready to meet Malefor."

Both dragons widened their eyes in surprise that their friend was spot on. "Are you psychic or something?" asked Gaia

Spyro laughed and answered, "No, I ran into Volt and he said that Electra was doing the same thing. I'm assuming that Glacia is too."

As Spyro finished the last four dragons walked in. "Sorry we're late," Blaze apologized, "the girls were-"

"We know," Spyro cut in. As the group got together he turned to the dragonesses and, with a stupid grin, asked, "Why don't you ladies do all this preparation for me?"

Glacia answered sarcastically, "Oh, we are sooooo sorry Spyro. Do you want us to start calling you magnificent purple dragon when we see you too?" She earned a giggle from the girls and chuckles from the boys.

Spyro gave her a friendly glare, but couldn't help but laugh, "Well, that would be nice."

Suddenly the large doors began to open. Slowly the doors revealed the guest. Malefor, the purple dragon. Malefor was purple with a golden colored chest, which was darker than Spyro's. He had five dark golden horns on his head; three larger horns on the left, right, and middle, and two smaller ones. The two smaller horns were on the left and right side of his head and were in between the larger horns. His wing membranes were purple, as opposed to Spyro's gold-orange ones. He had yellow spines on both sides of his upper chest and ran down the sides of his body until the middle of his tail. His eyes were a dark purple.

But what surprised the group was the black dragoness next to him. The guests walked towards the Guardians and stopped in front of them. Spyro got a good look at the dragoness. She looked the same age as he and his friends. She had black scales, with red underbelly, and red wing membranes with what looked like short blades where the wing joints met. She had nine white horns, three on each side of her head and three down the middle of her neck. She had a true tail blade, obviously meant for fighting. What stood out the most were the strange symbols that were on her forehead, under her eyes, on her shoulders, and on her lower back, close to the base of her tail. She had emerald green eyes. Spyro couldn't help but stare, _Wow, she's beautiful_.

"Hello Guardians. It is good to be back in Warfang," Malefor said with a friendly smile.

"Hello Malefor," greeted Ignitus, "Welcome back. It is indeed good to see you again after all these years."

Malefor nodded and said, "I heard that you have chosen apprentices to take under your wings to become the next Guardians."

"This is true," Ignitus motioned for the Guardian apprentices to come forward. When the students were with their respective masters Ignitus said, "This is Blaze, my apprentice of fire, and my son."

"This is Glacia, my current apprentice of ice," said Cyril gesturing to the ice dragoness.

"Volt is my student of electricity," said Volteer.

"And Terrain is my apprentice of earth," said Terrador.

Malefor smiled at the apprentices and said, "It is a pleasure to meet the future Guardians." He looked at Incendia and said, "And a pleasure to meet the Fire Guardian's mate." Incendia returned a smile.

"Malefor," said Ignitus, "there is one other student you should meet." Spyro saw his cue and walked up next to Ignitus. "This is Spyro."

Malefor looked at Spyro and said, "I never thought I would see another of my color."

"Malefor?" asked Ignitus, gesturing to the black dragoness, "Who is this?"

She answered the Fire Guardian, "My name is Cynder." She looked at Malefor and he gave her a nod. She looked back at Ignitus, "Three years ago my parents went out somewhere and never came back. About a year after that, Malefor found me and helped train me."

"My dear," Incendia said, sadness in her voice, "that's terrible."

Ignitus nodded in agreement and asked, "What is your element?"

Malefor answered, "Actually, the proper wording is _elements_."

"What?" all the Guardians asked surprised and confused.

"Cynder knows four elements. These are; shadow, poison, wind, and fear."

"Ah, the Secondary elements," Volteer said, earning confused looks from the younger dragons, except Cynder. Volteer noticed this and explained, "Secondary elements are what we call the shadow, wind, fear, and poison elements. We teach the Primary elements. The two terms are nothing more than vocabulary." He looked back at Cynder, "This is fascinating that she knows all four. Like an opposite of a purple dragon."

"Yes," said Malefor, "I have tried to teach her in these elements, however, it is difficult to teach an element that you do not possess. I was hoping that she could learn more here at the temple."

The Guardians exchanged looks and Ignitus replied, "We can, we just have to look more into this. Until then, these young dragons would like to learn from you about their elements. Is this okay?"

Malefor smiled and said, "Of course it is."

Ignitus smiled and said, "Spyro, would you be kind to show Cynder to an open room and show her around the temple?"

Spyro glanced at Cynder and back to Ignitus, "Sure." Spyro looked at Cynder and motioned with his head in the direction to the door that lead to the hall were the apprentices' rooms were. Cynder followed the purple dragon.

"We are going to our chamber for the time being," said Ignitus, "Malefor, how long will you be staying with us?"

Malefor thought for a brief moment and answered with a smile, "I honestly do not know. How long are you willing to let Cynder and me stay?"

Ignitus chuckled and answered back, "What kind of hosts would we be if we didn't say as long as you need? Don't worry, we have plenty of room for you both to stay." Malefor nodded in acknowledgement. "We are going to our chamber to discuss plans for the upcoming week." Ignitus looked to the apprentices and asked, "Would you please take Malefor to us when you are finished?" They all gave and nod, and the Guardians, along with Incendia, left the corridor.

"So… um… Malefor, excuse me, Master Malefor?" asked Glacia timidly.

Malefor chuckled and said, "Don't worry dear. There is no need for titles."

Glacia nodded and asked, "Could you talk about the ice element for a bit?" The purple dragon nodded.

* * *

Spyro and Cynder walked in silence. _Come on Spyro start a conversation, _he thought to himself. "So, how was the trip here?" Spyro mentally slapped himself for the dumb question.

"It was fine. The city is a sight to see." Spyro nodded, but stayed silent. He glanced at her, looking at the strange symbols she had.

Cynder took notice and grew slightly annoyed at his staring, "What is it?"

Spyro shook his head and apologized, "I'm sorry for staring. It's just, those symbols you have. What are they?"

Cynder calmed down and answered, "I hatched with them. They are a trait I inherited from my mother."

"Oh, I have never seen anything like them before." They walked past Spyro's room and stopped in front of the one next to his. "Well, here is where you will be staying." He opened the door and revealed an empty room that was set up just like Spyro's, but the book case was empty. It was also the same size. "Sorry if it's not much."

Cynder walked in and said, "It's okay, it's roomy." She looked around for a bit and looked back at Spyro, "How about that tour?"

Spyro smile and said, "Sure, follow me." They left Cynder's new room and started to head toward the bathing room. "So, what's your story?" he asked attempting for a better conversation starter.

Cynder said, "What I said back there was it."

Spyro didn't buy it, and stopped in front of her, "There has to be more than that."

Cynder stopped walking because of the dragon in front of her. She sighed and said, "Fine. I had loving parents, both of them were shadow dragons. We all loved each other like nothing else. We were happy. Then one day they left to run errands and didn't come back. I worked to support myself. After about a year Malefor came and took me under his wing. I showed him my elements and he did what he could to teach me. So that's it. Nineteen years in a nutshell. What about you?"

Spyro said, "Well first, do you know about the incident with the apes at the swamp temple?"

"Yes. One egg was missing. Why?"

"I was that egg." Cynder let out a soft gasp. "I hatched the next day in the middle of a swamp and was raised by a family of dragonflies who adopted me into their family. I spent fifteen years thinking that I too was a dragonfly. But one day Sparx, my adopted brother, got into trouble with bulb spiders. Somehow I breathed fire to help him. When we told our parents about it Ignitus came and told me that I was actually a dragon, not a dragonfly like I thought for so long. He invited me to live in Warfang and teach me about my elements. Sparx decided to come, but mom and dad wanted to say in the swamp. So four years later here we are, and that's _my _nineteen years in a nutshell."

Cynder thought, _I thought I had it bad, but…_ "Spyro, do you know your parents? I mean, your _real_ parents?"

Spyro shook his head, "No, I don't. Ignitus said no parents asked for my egg."

Cynder felt bad, "I'm sorry. My parents kept my egg. I hatched a few weeks after that temple incident."

Spyro shrugged and said, "Is fine, like I said, I hatched the day after the temple incident. And despite being raised by dragonflies, I think I turned out fine." Cynder giggled at the comment. When her giggle died down she stared into Spyro's amethyst eyes, while Spyro stared back into her emerald ones. Both dragons noticed that their heads were close to each other. They looked away with light blushes on their cheeks, "So, uh," Spyro stuttered, "how about we finish the tour?"

"Sure," Cynder lightly replied.

* * *

"Wow! So you can redirect lightning?! What does it feel like when the lightning is coursing through your body?" Volt asked with an excited tone.

After discussing the ice and fire elements, Malefor was discussing the element of electricity to the young dragons. Volt and Electra were having the time of their lives.

"It is exhilarating. I would not advise you to try it on your own, at least not without Volteer. It can be dangerous."

"How so?" asked Electra with curiosity.

"Because if the lightning is in your body for too long, then it has nowhere to go except…"

"Out," finished Volt with a shiver.

"Do not fret," reassured the purple dragon, "Just be sure that Volteer goes over the lessons required, and that he is there to safeguard you."

Glacia leaned toward Blaze and asked in a low enough voice so that only he could hear, "Where is Spyro and that black dragoness?"

He shrugged and whispered back, "I don't know. Maybe he's almost done giving her the tour."

* * *

"And finally, this is the training room." Lucky for him, his friends cleaned up after he, Blaze, and Glacia did their practice session and game.

"How often do you use this room?" the black dragoness asked.

Spyro shook his head, "With Terrador, too much," Cynder giggled at the comment. "I swear his training sessions are the true meaning of 'What doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger.' I prefer to at least be able to go a day without being sore."

"It must be terrible for the earth apprentice," the dragoness replied.

Spyro replied, "Terrain is a dragon with few words, especially around elders. He opens up around friends. And if he gets angry, there is a problem." Cynder looked at Spyro as if she wanted to ask something. "What is it, Cynder?" he asked taking notice.

"Well, I wanted to ask, if you could… um… introduce me to your friends."

Spyro gave her a broad smile and replied, "Of course! They're great dragons, nice too. You'll like them!"

Cynder gave the purple dragon a thankful smile, "Really? Thank you so much."

Spyro waved his paw and said, "It's nothing. Let's go meet back up with them." The two dragons walked out of the training room, heading to back to the main corridor. As they were walking Spyro was deep in thought, _What is this feeling in my chest? I feel all warm inside. Why? Is it because of Cynder?_ He stole another glace at the dragoness, _She is beautiful and kind. Is it because I like her? We just met._

Cynder was having the same inner conflict. _Why do I have this warm feeling in my chest? I never felt this way before. Is it…because of Spyro? _She stole a glace when he looked away. _He has been nothing but nice to me. And he's quite handsome._

Cynder broke the silence, "So tell me about your friends."

"Well you know the apprentices by name right?" The dragoness nodded. "Well, Blaze is confident and has a kind heart. He also enjoys a good joke. If one is directed to you, and if it is getting a little out of line, which is rare for him, than Glacia will jump in. She is his girlfriend."

"Fire and ice? So opposites do attract." She stated with a slight smile.

Spyro nodded and replied, "Yeah, she is very nice. If you have a problem, go to her. She loves to help others. Volt is the most intellectual. He is also shy sometimes, but when he is out of his shell, everyone likes to hang around him. Terrain is mostly the silent type like I said before. Around friends, he is very open."

Cynder nodded and asked, "Who were those other two dragonesses?"

"The earth dragoness is Gaia, Terrain's girlfriend, and the electric dragoness is Electra, Volt's girlfriend."

She smiled and said, "They all sound nice. Come on, let's get going." As if to emphasize her sentence, she jogged ahead. Spyro smiled and ran after the dragoness.

"I think I should lead the way, unless you are sure you know where you're going."

"Then by all means, lead the way." Spyro nodded and lead her to the main corridor.

They slowed to a walk as they approached the door. When they got to the entrance, it opened and revealed Spyro's friends and Malefor.

"Hey, Spyro!" exclaimed Blaze. Everyone glanced at the door to see the two dragons walking in, "What took you so long?"

"I was just giving Cynder a tour of the temple."

Malefor approached the younger purple dragon.

He sat on his haunches and asked Spyro, "So tell me… Spyro, is it?"

Spyro nodded.

"How skilled are you in your elements?"

Spyro looked at the ground, rubbing the floor with his right paw, "I guess I'm proficient, but-"

"Don't be so modest, Spyro!" interrupted Volt. The electric apprentice walked to the other side of his purple friend and said, "Just today, he bested Glacia in ice shard target practice, and Blaze in… 'Dodge Fireball'," he stopped as he said the game's name and said to Blaze, "By the way. That name sounds terrible."

The fire dragon gave him a glare, "How about you come up with a better name for a game like that."

Gaia joined in, "Irrelevant. The point is, Spyro here has beaten every one of us in our respective element at one point or another."

Malefor looked down at the younger purple dragon. Spyro was looking at the ground avoiding eye contact, and hiding his embarrassment. Malefor laughed and said, "Spyro, it makes sense. You are a purple dragon, so your power is greater than most dragons. But I am afraid that we will have to hold that conversation for another time. Could you all take me to the Guardians' chamber?"

"Of course!" everyone except Cynder answered and they all walked him to where he needed to go.

After a few minutes of walking, they were outside the chamber. "Thank you, young dragons. Cynder?"

"Yes?" the black dragoness asked.

"Go ahead and do as you wish." Malefor then walked into the room leaving the eight nineteen year old dragons by themselves.

When the door closed, Terrain asked, "So, what now?" Suddenly the four boys' stomachs growled, causing the girls to laugh. "Um…" Terrain tried to talk but nothing came out.

"Didn't we eat not long ago?" asked Electra. Her only response from the males were shrugs, "How about some lunch?" she asked in between laughs.

"Sure," said Spyro as they all started to walk to the dining hall.

Spyro lead the way as the others followed. Blaze walked up next to the purple dragon, "So, what _really_ took you and Cynder so long?" he asked in a whisper with a mischievous grin.

"Well, I took her around the temple so she won't get lost while she is staying." Spyro saw his friend's grin and asked, "What are you getting at?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Spyro. I saw that look on your face when she walked in."

Spyro blushed, but did his best to not let it show, "I have no idea what you're talking about." Spyro tried to sound as serious as possible, unfortunately Blaze saw right through it.

"Sure Spyro. I totally believe you," he said sarcastically and slowed down his pace to be with Glacia again.

Spyro got lost in his thoughts, _Ancestors, if Blaze gets the idea that I like Cynder, I'll never hear the end of… wait, what? Am I saying that I like Cynder? I mean, she's beautiful and caring, and… aaahhh! Stop it Spyro! Get your head together. She is most likely not interested in you. _Spyro stole a glance at Cynder. She was walking in silence by herself.

The group arrived to the dining room. "I'll get us some lamb," said Volt going in the kitchen in the corner of the room. Blaze, Terrain, and Spyro walked with him to get the meat.

The girls went to their usual table in the center of the dining hall. In no time, the boys came back with plates of meat, which Spyro and Blaze heated up. They all got seated in their spots except for Cynder.

Spryo noticed Cynder's lack of a place to sit, "Cynder, do you want to sit next to me?" All of his friends stared at him, Blaze had the 'I knew it' look. Cynder blushed at the purple dragon's offer. Spyro's face turned red as he clarified, "I mean… if you want to… because you don't have to… I mean, Sparx isn't here… and he normally sits here, so you can have his spot if-"

"Thank you Spyro," Cynder interrupted trying her best to not laugh at his embarrassment and to hide her reddening cheeks. Spyro looked at his friends and they all had the same smirks. He then glanced back at Cynder who sat next to him.

"So, I guess we introduce ourselves," said Blaze, "I'm Blaze."

Glacia said, "I'm his girlfriend Glacia."

Volt went next, "I'm Volt and his is my girlfriend Electra." Electra gave Cynder a friendly wave and smile.

"And I am Terrain, this is my girlfriend Gaia." Gaia nodded to the black dragoness.

"I am Cynder. It is nice to meet you all," Cynder replied not wanting to be rude and tell them that Spyro already introduced them for her.

"You too," said Glacia.

Cynder took a bite out of the lamb that was in front of her. "This is good!" she exclaimed as she continued to eat it.

Everyone ate in silence, enjoying the food. Spyro stole a glance to Cynder from the corner of his eye. _Fine, I admit it. I like her, but that doesn't mean that she likes me back._

If only Spyro knew what Cynder was thinking, _I think I like Spyro, but we just met today. How can I possibly feel this way to someone that I just met?_

"So, what is the plan for the rest of the day?" asked Gaia, breaking Spyro and Cynder from their thoughts.

Spyro shrugged, "I don't know, I think I'll go to my room and relax until Malefor is finished with the Guardians. It's not every day you see a purple dragon." Everyone looked at him with blank expressions. He sighed and added, "I was referring to me!"

The group let out 'Oh's'.

"Well, you can say that, but we've seen a purple dragon almost every day for the last few years," stated Volt.

"Yeah Spyro, how does it feel to be the last one at this table to meet a purple dragon?" Blaze asked getting laughs from everyone else.

Spyro shook his head and said, "You guys are the worst," but he couldn't help but smile. He finished his lamb and walked to the exit saying, "I'll be in my room if anyone needs me." He got different acknowledgements from the group and left.

Glacia turned to Cynder and asked, "So Cynder, how about you tell us more about yourself."

Cynder was unsure at first, until she remembered what Spyro had said earlier, _'They're great dragons, nice too. You'll like them!'_ She smiled and said, "Sure," and began to tell them what she had told Spyro.


	5. The Question

Chapter 5: The Question

"Impressive," Malefor complemented as Spyro ended his Fire Fury. The small flames surrounding the younger purple dragon were dying out. "Your strongest element is fire, but your weakest seems to be earth. Is there a particular reason why?"

It had been a week since Malefor and Cynder arrived at the temple and during those days Spyro and Cynder had been training under the purple dragon. Sparx and Silver had gone back to the swamp for the time being, but not without seeing the two guests.

The black dragoness was sitting on her haunches outside the ring, watching the two purple dragons intently.

"Well, earth was the last element I learned," answered Spyro.

The larger purple nodded, "There is not too much for me to teach you. I can only give you advice, the rest is for you to figure out on your own. Work with Terrador and his apprentice a little more often, it would be wise to be well balanced with the elements. That doesn't mean to not have a personal favorite, and I see that yours is fire. This is fine, just don't forget that you have other options."

Spyro nodded, taking in all of what Malefor was saying.

"That is it for today." He looked at Cynder and said, "You both are dismissed." The two young dragons said their good-byes, and walked out of the training room to head towards their rooms.

"Your elements are something else Cynder," Spyro complemented as they made their way through the temple.

Spyro found it difficult to spar against someone who used elements he had next to no experience with. Cynder, on the other paw, had Malefor to instruct her, giving her much experience with all of the purple dragons' elements.

"Thanks, yours are great too."

"Out of your elements, I hate fear the most," he said with a light chuckle.

Cynder smirked and replied, "Well then, I guess I should use it on you more often."

"Oh Ancestors, please no!" Spyro begged with sarcasm in his voice.

Cynder giggled and replied, "Calm down. I'm only kidding."

They continued through the temple in silence thinking about each other and stealing quick glances when they could. They grew closer to each other as the days went by. At first, they knew that they liked the other, but now that grew into something more. They weren't questioning if they liked each other. They were questioning if they _loved_ each other. Spyro even tried to confess to the black dragoness, but lost his nerve and changed the subject. He thought that it was way too soon to be in a relationship, let alone stay those three special words. He said to himself that 'It's been only a few days.' Cynder even tried to do the same, but was never able to get the words together.

When they arrived in the apprentices' corridor, Spyro stopped in front of his room as Cynder stopped at hers. _We're alone, say something,_ he thought to himself. "Hey, Cynder?"

"Yes, Spyro?" she asked.

"I wanted… to tell you… that…" his nerves got to him, _Come on! Just tell her!_ "You are an incredible fighter." Spyro was mentally screaming in his head at his cowardice.

"Thank you Spyro, so are you," she replied, trying to hide her disappointment. _What was he really going to say? _She gave a mental sigh, "I'm going to relax, I'll see you later Spyro." She walked into her room and left the purple dragon by himself in the hall.

He sighed and walked into his room. Spyro let out a groan as he walked toward his bed, with his tail dragging on the floor. He jumped on his bed and rolled on his back, staring at the ceiling of his room. _Why can't I tell her? It's just a few words!_ _Maybe I should talk to Glacia about this. _The purple dragon frowned slightly, _No, I need guy help, so Blaze is the better choice._ He sighed knowing that Blaze will be in his face about how he was right all along.

Spyro got up and walked out of his room. Blaze's room was right across from his. He brought his paw up to knock, but stopped himself and looked at Cynder's door. He shook his head and knocked, and after a brief pause Blaze opened the door.

"Hey Spyro. What do you need?"

"Um," Spyro looked around wanting to talk to Blaze alone. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," Blaze replied, moving aside for Spyro to enter. As Spyro entered, Blaze closed the door after him. "So, what do you need?"

Spyro sighed and said, "Okay, just bear with me. It's about Cynder."

Before he could continue, the fire dragon burst into a fit of laughter. "I knew it!" he cried laughing, rolling on the floor. "You are head over paws for that dragoness, hehe," he said, trying to get a hold of himself.

Spyro grew irritated and shot, "Yes! Are you happy?! I'm in love with her! What more do you want?!"

Blaze's laughter stopped and his eyes widened a bit, "You… love her?"

The purple dragon stopped and realized what he just admitted. _I just had to snap, didn't I?_ The purple calmed down and sighed, "Yes, I love her. She's beautiful, kind, caring, and several other things. But, I don't know what to do. Can you help me out?"

"Sure I can," answered Blaze, "first you have to tell her."

"I can't tell her!" Spyro exclaimed, "We just met a few days ago! Besides, what if… what if she doesn't feel the same way?"

Blaze shook his head and replied, "First, It's been a full week. Second, Spyro, you won't know until you ask. You have to do this on your own. I can give you girl advice if you want."

Spyro thought for a moment and said, "Okay, what exactly is your advice?"

The fire apprentice smiled and said, "Alright, first do what Glacia said, 'Be yourself.' Do that, and you would have mastered about ninety percent of the advice."

The purple dragon grew confused, "That's it? What is the other ten percent?"

"Those are the little things such as, don't force yourself on her."

Spyro's face went beat red, "Uuuuhhhhh…"

Blaze realized his poor choice of words and clarified, "I mean, constantly chase after her like a freak."

Spyro let out an 'oh.'

"Also don't be a show-off or… actually, that's it for you. The next step is to tell her your feelings."

"I've tried, but the idea of rejection gets in my head. What if she rejects me?"

"I don't know, Spyro."

Spyro sighed, "Thanks anyway, Blaze." He walked out of Blaze's room and closed the door behind him.

The purple dragon stood in the hall way for a brief moment then walked towards the main corridor, with his head down and his tail almost dragging on the floor. Spyro thought about Blaze's advice. He wanted to tell Cynder about his feelings, but he just didn't know how. Even if she shared his feelings, how could he tell her?

He knew that he saw her as more than a friend. In his eyes, she was the perfect dragoness. She was beautiful, strong, kind, and more things that Spyro couldn't think of. Since they met, Cynder had been with him when the others were busy, when usually he would be alone. But with Cynder, she kept him company, and he enjoyed every moment of it.

The door that lead to the main corridor opened as he approached it. He continued his aimless walk, not paying attention to his surroundings, which is why he didn't notice the dragon walking towards him.

He bumped into the dragon, breaking himself from his clouded mind. He saw that is was Incendia he had ran into, "Oh, sorry Incendia," The purple dragon apologized.

The fire dragoness gave a soft smile, "That is quite alright Spyro." She looked at his face and saw a troubled look, similar to one she sees on Ignitus. "Is there something on your mind, Spyro?" she asked.

Spyro glanced away before deciding to be open, "Yes. I do have something on my mind." The purple dragon shifted slightly and spoke again, "It's about Cynder. I-"

"You love her, don't you?" she cut in.

"How did you know?" he asked, not too surprised. Incendia knew him like the back of her own paw.

"Come with me," she commanded, walking to the main entrance. Spyro followed behind her as she opened the door, leading to the outside.

Incendia sat on her haunches, and waited for Spyro to do the same. When Spyro sat next to her, the two dragons looked over the city, with the sun only several minutes away from beginning its descent.

The fire dragoness continued, "It's obvious, the way you act around her."

Spyro turned his head to Incendia. "I want to tell her, but we only met a week ago, and… what if she rejects me?"

"That is a risk that you have to take. Happiness is for those who seek, not those who wait. And don't worry about how long you've known her. Do you know how long I knew Ignitus before he told me that he loved me?" The purple dragon shook his head. "Not even two weeks after we met. With love, time doesn't matter. All you need is that special moment." The fire dragoness closed her eyes and smiled, "Ours was at the park, during the sunset."

Spyro felt relaxed. Maybe he was overthinking everything. He turned to Incendia, who in turn did the same, "Thank you Incendia, for everything."

She returned the smile, "I'm happy to help."

* * *

_Okay, I just need to talk to someone, Spyro did say that Glacia likes to help others, so…_ Cynder was about to knock on Glacia's door.

"Hey, Cynder."

The black dragoness let out a shriek and got into a fighting stance. To her relief, it was the dragoness that she wanted to see.

"Glacia, you scared me."

"Sorry. I just finished training with Cyril, and I need to relax. Do you want to come in?"

"Sure, thank you," the black dragoness replied as the two walked in. Cynder and Glacia quickly became friends since they met. One could say that they have a friendship almost similar to Spyro and Blaze. "How was training?" Cynder asked the ice dragoness as they turned to face each other.

"Oh, it was fine," Glacia replied, "Thankfully, today was an easy day with training dummies. Cyril would like me to have a sparring partner to help my ice element and physical combat flow together. I was wondering if you would like to be my sparring partner."

Cynder smiled, "Of course I would. It would be nice to spar with someone else for a change instead of only with Spyro." Upon saying the purple dragon's name, Cynder's eyes drifted away from the ice dragoness and toward the wall.

Glacia raised a brow at her friend's behavior. Something must have been on Cynder's mind.

"Is there something bothering you?"

Cynder's confidence began to fade, mentally arguing if she should even talk about something so personal.

However, she made her decision, "Well, it's about Spyro."

"You like him, don't you." It was a statement rather than a question.

"Well, that's not it… I…"

Glacia interrupted her and hotly said, "If you are going bounce around this subject, you better leave right now. He has enough heartache to deal with as-"

"NO!" Cynder cut in, "I love him! I can't get him out of my head. He has been nothing but kind to me since I got here. I never had friends, but he helped me make them. He goes out of his way to make me happy, and he…" the black dragoness stopped her babbling as she saw Glacia's wide eyes with her jaw dropped. The black dragoness realized that she told Glacia everything.

"You're serious, aren't you? You love Spyro?" Cynder nodded slowly. Glacia looked into Cynder's eyes to see any sign of a lie. She found none. "Okay, Cynder I believe you, I just had to make sure."

"Why? And what do you mean he is dealing with heartache?"

Glacia shifted uncomfortably and answered, "The Warfang Ball is coming soon and Spyro never goes to it."

"But why?" asked Cynder.

Glacia sighed and said, "Because he never had a dragoness to go with. In our circle of friends, he is the only one without a girlfriend."

Cynder glanced away from the ice dragoness, "I know the feeling, not having someone close. But he has it worse, at least I have a mother and father. He never had that."

"You talk like you know a lot about Spyro," Glacia stated.

"We talk about our lives after training sessions. Did you know that Spyro saved his brother, Sparx, from frog weeds five times?"

"I'm curious as to how it happened once, let alone five times," Glacia said causing the dragonesses to giggle.

The black dragoness thanked Glacia for the talk and started to leave.

"Cynder," the black dragoness turned around before leaving, "If he does come out of that shell of his, don't let him go."

Cynder nodded with a smile, "I won't," and left. As the door behind her closed, she started to her room.

The black dragoness felt a little better, no doubt because of her good friend. Cynder began to walk around the temple with only the purple dragon on her mind. She wondered if Spyro saw her as just a friend or perhaps something more. Cynder knew in her heart that Spyro was definitely more than a friend in her own eyes. It was the kindness he showed her the moment she stepped into the temple. He made it his top priority to make her comfortable and happy during her stay. She loved him for being just that, him.

Cynder was brought back to reality as she found herself next to a set of stairs. If she remembered correctly, during her tour with Spyro, these stairs led to a door to the roof of the temple.

_Maybe I can get a good view of the sunset_, she thought as she climbed to stairs. When she reached the door, she pushed it open.

The roof was flat with nothing of interest, except a purple dragon sitting on his haunches next to the edge of the roof.

Upon hearing the door open, Spyro turned his body to see who it was. "Cynder?" he asked, surprised to see the dragoness, "What are you doing here?"

"I was just walking around the temple, and found the stairs that brought me here," She answered. "I wanted see if I could watch the sunset."

The purple dragon smiled, "This is the perfect spot. Come here."

The black dragoness walked over to the edge, next to the purple dragon, and let out a soft gasp. The sight over looked the city with the setting sun in the background. The orange, yellow, and red colors shone brightly over the horizon.

"This… this is beautiful," the black dragoness said.

"I thought you'd like it," Spyro said, "I like to watch the sunset every so often to help clear my head, or just to enjoy the view." The two dragons continued to watch the view in silence for a few moments. _Now Spyro, _the purple dragon thought to himself. "Cynder?"

"Yes, Spyro?" she asked turning her attention to him.

"I want to ask you something."

"Yes?"

He hesitated for a second, "Would you like to go to the Warfang Ball with me?"

Cynder couldn't believe it. Did she hear him right? Spyro just asked her to go with him to one of the most important events in Warfang, something he has never done. She looked deep in his amethyst eyes.

After a brief silence she answered, "Yes, I would love to."

Spyro's world shot sky high.

"Really?"

Cynder smiled and replied, "Of course, I wouldn't want to go with anyone else." She leaned her head against his, closing her eyes. Spyro was shocked at first, feeling warmth rushing to his face. However, he relaxed as the feeling of his reddened cheeks was replaced with the warmth of the contact from the dragoness. His eyes closed as he leaned his own head against Cynder's, smiles forming on both dragons' lips.

By the time they pulled away, the light from the sun had begun to diminish, indicating the sun was almost completely set. Cynder smiled at Spyro and said, "I need to see if Glacia can help me get ready for the Ball." The black dragoness leaned forward and gave Spyro a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you later," with that she walked back into the temple.

Spyro stood there dumbstruck. _She kissed me. _It may have been just a kiss on the cheek, but it made Spyro feel like he was on top of the world. Spyro was full of energy with his tail waving left and right. Nothing could ruin this moment. Nothing but a single thought. His tail ceased its motion and laid still on the stone floor as he thought, _How the hell do I get ready?_

* * *

"So, we will head out tomorrow, right?" Glacia asked Gaia and Electra who nodded. The three dragonesses were in Glacia's room talking about going out to get ready for the Ball. Suddenly several fast knocks came from the ice dragoness's door.

"Is Blaze going to tag along?" asked Electra, confused.

"He shouldn't be," replied Glacia, just as confused. She went to open the door, and when she did Cynder was revealed. "Cynder? What is it?" She asked, noticing that the black dragoness seemed excited about something. She let Cynder in to explain herself.

"It's um…" Cynder stopped and noticed the Electra and Gaia were also in the room.

Glacia reassured her, "Don't worry, what you tell me you can tell them."

The two dragonesses nodded, waiting for Cynder to tell them why she was here. "Well," Cynder said with a smile, "It's about Spyro."

"What about Spyro? Come on, out with it!" pressed Electra.

Cynder took a breath and said, "Spyro asked me to go with him to the Warfang Ball, and I said yes!"

The three dragonesses squealed like they were hatchlings again.

"Really?!" asked Gaia. The black dragoness nodded. "Spyro finally asked someone to the Warfang Ball?!"

"How did he ask?" questioned Glacia curiously.

Cynder lightly blushed, "Well, we met at the top of the temple, we watched the sunset together. Then, he asked me if I wanted to go to the Warfang Ball with him."

"How romantic," Electra sighed, "I always knew there was some romance in that dragon."

Glacia smiled, "In that case, you will come with us tomorrow to do some preparing."

"Preparing?" asked Cynder, raising a brow, "For what?"

Gaia answered, "For the Ball of course! We are going to get an appointment to polish our scales, horns, and such. We are heading out tomorrow morning before lunch where we will meet the guys, and they are going to do the same."

* * *

"And that's how it happened," concluded Spyro telling the three dragons about how he asked Cynder to the Warfang Ball. He, of course, skipped the part where Cynder kissed his cheek.

"A bit cliché if you ask me," Blaze said, "but nice job Spyro."

"Yeah," Volt said, "didn't know you had it in you." This earned the electric apprentice a glare from the purple dragon.

"Give him a break, Volt," Terrain said, trying not to laugh.

Spyro was getting irritated, "Yeah, yeah laugh it up, I still have a problem. How do I get ready for this event?!"

"Simple," answered Blaze, "You will come with us tomorrow to get ready for the Ball. We are going to leave sometime after the girls do."

"Why?"

Blaze rolled his eyes and said, "Because we are going to surprise our partners the day of the Ball. So in the morning, you won't be seeing Cynder very much, except for lunch."

"Lunch, in the morning?" Spyro asked, "Is it going to be an early lunch?"

"We don't know when we will meet up, so we'll just call it lunch," Blaze clarified.

"Is this the same process you all do every year?" the purple dragon asked.

"This is only our second time," Terrain corrected.

"Have you not been paying attention?" the fire apprentice asked.

Spyro shrugged, "Not really, I've been having my own fun for the ball."

Volt raised a brow, "I wouldn't consider training fun, especially if you're the only one in the temple for the night."

Spyro let out a yawn, "Anyway, I better head to bed. I'll be seeing you guys in the morning. Goodnight." The others exchanged goodnights as the purple dragon left for his room.

Spyro walked into his room, closing the door behind him. He continued to his bed where he got onto it and covered himself with his blanket. He soon drifted off to sleep with a smile, thinking of the dragoness he had asked to the Warfang Ball.


	6. From Good to Bad

Chapter 6: From Good to Bad

The sun rose over the dragon city as the eight dragons got ready to start their day to prepare for the Warfang Ball the next day.

"Okay girls, ready?" asked Glacia.

"You bet! This is so exiting!" Electra exclaimed with her body shaking in excitement.

Glacia smiled at her friend's energetic mood. Then she turned to Blaze, "Now behave yourself, and don't give Spyro a hard time."

"Yes mom," Blaze said sarcastically getting a brief kiss on the lips by the ice dragoness.

Electra said to Volt, "And that goes double for you."

"What?!" asked Volt shocked, "I get into trouble or issues far less than Blaze does, and-" he was silenced by the dragoness's lips. When she pulled away he said, "I'll be good." Electra smiled in return.

Gaia and Terrain looked at each other. Gaia said, "The way you act, my silent warrior, you won't talk much," Terrain smiled and gave her a kiss.

Cynder and Spyro looked at the three couples, until Blaze got an idea, "So, Spyro. You gonna give your dragoness a kiss or what?"

Instantly, the purple dragon and black dragoness' cheeks went red.

"Yeah, Spyro! Come on!" Volt encouraged adding fuel to the fire, with Terrain trying his best to hold his snickers. The girls could not believe their boyfriends' behavior.

Spyro and Cynder looked at each other, still blushing. _Looks like we're not getting out of this one,_ thought Spyro. He stared at Cynder for a few seconds and leaned into give her a kiss on the cheek. She didn't move away from the kiss, in fact, she rather enjoyed it. Spyro pulled back and looked into the black dragoness' emerald eyes as she looked into his amethyst eyes.

"Okay, it's time to go. We'll see you later," said Glacia, shocked that Spyro actually went through with what the males wanted. She and the other girls turned to leave and Cynder followed them, but turned to Spyro one last time giving him a warm smile. She then jogged after the group of females.

The guys walked to Spyro and Volt said, "I can't believe you actually kissed her, even if it was on the cheek. I was sure you would back out." However, Spyro wasn't listening. He was staring in the direction Cynder and the girls left, with a smile on his face.

* * *

"I can't believe those three pressured Spyro into doing that! Especially Terrain," Gaia said as they walked into the streets of Warfang.

"Cynder, we're sorry about what happened back there," apologized Electra.

"Yeah. We thought that they were more mature than that," Glacia added, looking at the black dragoness.

Cynder gave a small smile and said, "You make it sound like I didn't enjoy it." The group gave her shocked expressions, causing her to laugh to herself.

"You… enjoyed it?" asked Gaia, making sure she hear her friend right.

"Of course I did," answered Cynder.

"In that case, now I don't feel so bad," Glacia replied causing the group of females to giggle. After they relaxed, they walked in silence.

Several minutes later, they arrived at the building they intended to go to.

"Here it is," announced Glacia as they walked in.

It had different items for special events, formal armor was on display, different perfumes were on some shelves, and other objects were on exhibit. There were only a few dragons inside so it wasn't very crowded.

"Wow," said Cynder amazed, "this place is amazing, but where is everybody? I thought this place would be packed."

"That is because you are here way before the crowd." The four dragonesses turned to the source of the voice to see a beautiful light blue dragoness. "How may I help you today?"

"Well," started Glacia, "we are here to make an appointment to have our scales, horns, and claws polished for the Warfang Ball tomorrow."

"Ah, yes. Have you been to the Ball before?"

Gaia answered, "We have, but our friend hasn't," she gestured to Cynder, "this will be her first time."

"Well, do you have a partner for the Ball?" the dragoness asked Cynder. The black dragoness gave a nod. "Then let's get a time for you so that you will amaze him. Follow me." They walked to a counter next to a hallway that led to several rooms. "So, you all wish to have a full service?"

"Yes," answered Glacia.

"When would be a good time for you all?"

"In the afternoon," Glacia answered.

The blue dragoness nodded and asked, "Whose name should this be under?"

"Mine," Glacia replied, "Glacia."

The blue dragoness nodded again and wrote down Glacia's name on a sheet of paper with the quill. "Wait here for me to have a room reserved to be prepared." She left the four dragonesses, and walked down the hallway.

* * *

"When are we supposed to head out?" asked Spyro. The four dragons were relaxing in the training room for the time being.

Blaze shrugged and answered, "We'll given them a while longer. You know how girls are when it comes to looks."

"But still, if they are just setting up an appointment, why should we wait so long?" Spyro said, pointing out the flaw in the day's plan. "We are supposed to meet them for lunch, so by the time we make our appointment, then they will have to wait for us. Why not just go out at the same time?"

"Because shut up," Blaze retaliated with narrow eyes. Volt and Terrain couldn't help but snicker when they saw the irritated look on at Blaze's face.

Spyro quickly decided to change the subject, "So, what is the Ball like?"

Suddenly a voice came, "Spyro." The four dragons looked over to the entrance of the room to see Malefor. "I want to speak with you, in private."

Spyro reluctantly nodded and walked over to the larger purple dragon.

"Follow me," he commanded and the two purple dragons walked down the hall. When they were far enough away from the others, Malefor stopped, causing Spyro to do the same. Malefor then spoke with his back still facing Spyro, "I hear that you asked Cynder to the Warfang Ball that occurs tomorrow."

Spyro grew nervous but instinctively nodded, even though older purple dragon could not see him do so.

"You have only known each other for just about a week, while I have known her for roughly two years."

Spyro lowered his head in shame, finding the ground more interesting. His tail fell to the floor.

"But," Spyro looked back at Malefor, "I have never seen her so happy before, not even when she agreed to let me be her teacher and guardian. Somehow you gave her happiness despite the short amount of time you have known her." Malefor turned around and looked at the younger purple dragon, "Do not hurt her when she is finally getting the life she wants."

Spyro gave Malefor a determined smile and said, "I wouldn't dream of it. She changed my life, and I want her to be happy." Malefor smiled and gestured with his snout for Spyro to return to his friends.

As Spyro left Malefor thought, _You are more important than you think Spyro. Soon I will find the purpose of the purple dragon._

As Spyro arrived back to the training room, the three dragons were getting ready to leave.

"Spyro, what was that about?" asked Terrain curiously.

"Nothing, just purple dragon talk. We ready to go?" the three dragons nodded their heads, "Then let's go!"

* * *

"Thank you so much!" thanked Electra. Everything was in order.

The blue dragoness smiled, "You are quite welcome. Please be back in the afternoon. If you don't come back by early evening, your spot will be given up."

"We will," assured Glacia as the dragonesses walked away from building.

"So, what now?" Cynder asked.

"Not sure. We have to kill time for a while."

"Why didn't we just make the arrangement at the same time as the boys?" Cynder questioned, "Now we have to wait for them."

The girls exchanged looks, knowing that they now needed to pass time somehow.

"How about we wait for them at the café? We can order lunch in a few minutes, and hopefully we time it right so we can eat as soon as they show up," suggested Gaia.

"Sure," the others agreed as they walked to their next destination.

* * *

"Wow, dragons are getting ready," observed Spyro seeing other dragons in the shop. "Did the girls come here too?"

"Actually," said Volt, "this is a polishing, cleaning, and formal event shop for males. The other is for females, which is on the other side."

"Polishing and cleaning? What are we doing exactly?"

"Blaze, Volt, Terrain, it is good to see you again," a red dragon walked up to them.

"Hey, Flint! How are you?" asked Blaze.

"I'm fine. My cousin helped your dragonesses earlier."

"Really? She did?"

Flint nodded, "But there was another with them. She was a black dragoness with red chest and wings. Do you know her?"

"That was Cynder. Spyro is taking her to the Ball tomorrow."

"Spyro?" he asked looking at Spyro, "you're actually going to the Warfang Ball this year?"

The purple dragon smiled.

"Splendid! Now, I'm sure you want to be cleaned and all, right?" The dragons nodded. "When would you like to get started?"

"Sometime in the afternoon," answered Volt.

Spyro leaned close to Terrain and asked in a whisper, "What exactly are we doing?"

The earth apprentice whispered back, "We are reserving a room to clean our scales."

"That's it? Why aren't we getting formal armor?"

"The armor is expensive, and is meant for higher class dragons like nobles and the Guardians. Sometimes those from the guard will bring their armor. The girls will polish their scales, claws, and such, but we won't go that far." Terrain smirked at Spyro, "Unless you want to do the whole polish thing."

Spyro rolled his eyes, but didn't answer. Flint left the dragons for a moment, and after a few moments he returned.

"Everything is in order. Come back in the afternoon. Don't be late."

"We won't," Blaze said as the dragons walked out to meet with the girls. Shortly after their walk, the group of four came to the outdoor café they were supposed to meet with the dragonesses.

"Where are they?" Blaze said.

"Over here," came Glacia's voice. The group of males walked through the patio of tables until they saw the dragonesses. They walked over and sat down on their haunches at a large table. On one side was Volt, Electra, Gaia, and Terrain, and on the other was Cynder, Spyro, Blaze, and Glacia. "We already ordered for you."

"What did you get us?" asked Blaze.

"The usual, you and Spyro have cooked lamb, Volt has roasted rabbit, and Terrain has cooked fish." Three dragons arrived with the food. "Speaking of food."

"Perfect timing," commented Spyro, as they all dug into their food.

As they were eating Electra asked, "Spyro? Where has Sparx been?"

"He and Silver went back to the swamp," he answered, "I'm sure after the Ball blows over they'll be back."

The group of eight continued to eat in silence so that they did not have to worry about giving up information about their preparations for the Ball. The silence lasted until they were finished with their meals.

"That hit the spot," stated Blaze as they left the café. "What do we owe you?" he asked, speaking for the four males.

"A dance at the Ball," replied the girls simultaneously, except Cynder, whose cheeks slightly reddened at the thought of dancing with Spyro.

"So, I assume that we have appointments in the afternoon like we planned?" asked Volt, changing the subject as the large group walked. The girls nodded and Volt continued, "Good. So what do you want to do?"

Electra shrugged and replied, "I don't know."

A group of three dragons, one black, one green, and one red, walked toward them.

"Hello there, how are you today?" asked the black dragon.

"Fine, thank you," Volt said kindly.

The black dragon glared at Volt, "I was talking to her," he said, gesturing to Cynder. "Would the beautiful dragoness like something to eat? I'll buy," he finished smugly.

"Sorry, but I just ate," she replied, irritated at the way he spoke to her.

"Oh? How about you and I go to the Warfang Ball tomorrow? I heard it is a great event for dragons like you and me to have a wonderful night."

Spyro struggled to hold his anger. This dragon was trying the take away the dragoness he loved, and he wasn't about to let that happen.

"Sorry, but she is already going with me," he said, trying to be nice and not cause problems. Unfortunately, problems have their place in the world.

The black dragon looked at Spyro unimpressed, "You? Please, a beautiful dragoness like her deserves a _real _dragon. Not some second rate purple." It turned dead silent. Other dragons stopped what they were doing to see the exchange. "Malefor is the greatest dragon to ever live. One of a kind in power, and color. Now we have a second who can't even stand up to the first's greatness."

Sadness hit the purple dragon like a train as his fear of being compared to Malefor was coming true.

The dragon smirked as he went more personal, "Everyone knows the temple incident story. How an egg was missing, a purple egg." He pointed at Spyro, "Your egg." He put down his paw and continued his hurtful speech, "Your parents didn't even reveal themselves. They were probably too shameful to even have had you!"

Everyone around them gasped, no one had ever spoken to Spyro like this before. Spyro was not only sad, but angry. Angry at this dragon for his hurtful words, and at his real parents for seemingly abandoning him. The black dragon kept his smug look, satisfied at the damage he had dealt.

When Spyro said nothing the dragon turned back to Cynder, "So, do you want to be my dragoness?"

Something broke inside of the purple dragon. Spyro slowly walked up to the black dragon. When he was right in front of the dragon he looked into his eyes. Spyro's eyes were watered with sadness, but they also showed anger and… hatred. Before the black dragon could react, Spyro threw out his left paw, grabbed the dragon's head with lightning speed, and slammed him to the ground. The dragon's two friends sunk back and were too scared to help. Even Spyro's friends jumped at his actions, they didn't know what to do or think, and by standing dragons were shocked. Anyone that knew Spyro, even vaguely, knew him as a kind-hearted and selfless dragon, and what they were seeing was a new side of the purple dragon. The black dragon was full of fear and did nothing, only stared at the dragon he was under the mercy of.

Spyro's irrational thought began to cloud his mind. _Why does he mock me? Why did my parents leave me… abandon me?_ Spyro's free, right paw tensed, scratching the stone ground. _Is he right? Did they simply just not want me? Ancestors, why do you do this to me! _His eyes seemed to stare into the black dragon's soul. The more the purple dragon looked at the scared dragon, the more his heart hurt. _No more. _Spyro let go of the black dragon's horn and brought up his right paw ready to claw the dragon. _No more._

"Spyro, stop!" Cynder cried.

Spyro spun around to the source of the cry. The black dragon's two friends rushed in, picked him up, and got away. Spyro saw a look that instantly brought him back to reality. Cynder had stepped forward with tears in her eyes, her tears were rolling down her cheeks from what she just witnessed. A wave of realization of what he just done hit him, he had done what he promised he would never do. He hurt Cynder. Not only that, but he was close to mauling another dragon. One of Cynder's tears splashed on the hard ground, and that is all it took for Spyro to choose his next action. Without a second thought, he ran away from his friends, ignoring their pleas to return.


	7. Comfort

Chapter 7: Comfort

The purple dragon continued to run. He didn't look back, he couldn't.

_I have to get away,_ he thought as he pushed himself to continue. He needed to go somewhere to be by himself. _The temple? No, the Guardians and Malefor are there. I could go to the roof, but Glacia, Blaze, and maybe Cynder would look there. Wait, I could go to the park. No one would think to look there. _He then flapped his wings, and flew fast and low so no one could see him.

* * *

"Spyro!" called out Terrain.

Immediately after Spyro ran away, the group of friends took off after him. However, they lost sight and were hoping that he could hear their calls and return to them.

"Spyro! Where are you?" Electra called out. She sighed, "We'll never find him at this rate. That stupid dragon had to go _that_ far," she said referring to the black dragon.

"Then let's split up," said Blaze. "Glacia and I will go to the temple. Electra and Volt, you two go to the fountain in the middle of the city. Terrain and Gaia, you search the southern half of the city. Cynder, you take the north. If you find Spyro, just fly around and we will see you. Hopefully he will be with you. Got it?" Everyone nodded in agreement. "Let's find our friend," Blaze said as the group split up.

As he and Glacia were flying in the direction of the temple, she said, "I hope Spyro is okay. I've never seen him retaliate before."

Blaze nodded, "Then again, no one ever tried to insult him before. Spyro's real parents are a topic that he has mixed feelings about."

"So what do we do if we find him?" she asked.

"He just has to know that no one is upset at him."

"What do we tell the Guardians?"

"Hopefully they are busy with preparations for the Ball. If they aren't, then we'll say that we are waiting for our appointment time." The ice dragoness nodded as they neared to temple. "Let's check his room first," Blaze suggested as they landed in front of the main entrance to the temple.

Once they opened the door, the fire-ice couple ran to the corridor that lead to the apprentices' quarters. There were no signs of either the Guardians or Malefor, although the two dragons didn't try to look. As they ran down the hall, they stopped in front of Spyro's room and Blaze knocked on it.

"Spyro? Are you in there?" called Glacia, but there was no answer. Blaze pushed the door open and saw that it was empty. "Let's try the roof," Glacia suggested earning a nod from the fire dragon.

They walked out to the room's balcony overlooking the city and flew to the top of the temple, but Spyro wasn't there either. Blaze looked at his love confused, and she did the same.

"Where could he be?" they asked each other in unison.

* * *

"Do you see him?" asked Electra as she and Volt looked around the fountain.

The fountain was near the middle of Warfang. It was surrounded by other buildings, but the structures were a good distance away so that many dragons could walk around freely. The fountain had four statues of four different dragons, all who sat on their haunches proudly. Each of them represented an element. The fire dragon faced north, the electric dragon faced east, the ice dragon faced south, and the earth dragon faced west. These dragons were the Guardians of the time Warfang was built.

There was only a small crowd of dragons around the fountain. Hatchlings ran around playing, while older dragons passed by or were enjoying the company of others.

"No," Volt answered. He let out a sigh and said, "I think he wants to be by himself, just like…" he paused for a moment.

"Just like how he used to," Electra finished with sadness in her voice. "Has anyone else found him?"

Volt flew to the air to have a look. Not too many dragons flew around Warfang except to get from one side of the city to the other, so finding a purple dragon should've been easy enough. Should have.

"Nothing," the electric apprentice said to himself, as he flew back down. "I didn't see Spyro or the others."

Electra sighed, "Okay, so where do we look now? Blaze said to look at the fountain, but Spyro's not here."

Volt shrugged and answered, "I think we should look farther around for the time being. Who knows, we may get lucky."

* * *

Terrain and Gaia also had no luck, but they still had some ground to cover since they were in charge of looking the southern half of the city. They were scouring the city as much and as fast as they could—so much that their wings were beginning to strain, they were earth dragons after all, not wind dragons. "Can we land for a bit?" asked Gaia, slightly panting, "My wings are starting to hurt."

"I guess we could," the green dragons replied, panting lightly. His training ensured that he could endure long flights and runs. Because of this, he was faring better than his female counterpart.

The couple had been flying low to have a better look on the ground in hopes to finding Spyro since he would most likely be there. The two earth dragons landed to take a break from flying. "We can at least walk around to look for Spyro," said Terrain

Gaia sighed and said, "Spyro must feel so bad right now."

Terrain nodded, "Yeah, no one should have to go through that kind of torment. Especially Spyro.

"That's not what I meant," Gaia responded shaking her head slightly. "Did you see Cynder when Spyro was about to claw that dragon?" Terrain thought for a moment, but he shook his head. "She was in tears. Seeing Spyro so angry, so… aggressive. I think that when Spyro saw her, that is what drove him away."

Terrain was silent for a moment, then said, "Let's keep looking."

* * *

_Spyro, where are you?_ Cynder thought as she cut through the sky, using her wind abilities to aid her. The black dragoness had been worried since Spyro ran away. _Please be okay. _She landed near a lake for a closer look, and noted that it was a large park, Cynder took a moment to look around for the purple dragon. She saw a few hatchlings playing games with others their age, parents even played with their young. Cynder sighed softly remembering the happy times she had with her own parents. The dragoness saw a few couples lying under trees in the shade. Under one tree at the far corner of the area lay a single dragon. She walked towards the tree to get a closer look. Although the dragon was in the shade she could make out that his scales were… purple.

_Spyro!_ Cynder ran over to the purple dragon, "Spyro!"

Spyro looked up from the call of his name and saw Cynder running towards him. Not wanting to cause her any more pain, he got up to try to get away, but Cynder was quicker and hugged him, not letting him move. "Spyro. We've been looking everywhere for you." Spyro pushed away from the black dragoness to which she gave a confused look. "What's wrong?"

Spyro turned away not wanting to let the dragoness see his watering eyes. "I'm wrong," he answered.

"What?" she asked, not sure if she heard him right.

"That dragon was right about everything."

"No," Cynder replied, taking a step closer to him. "He was just a punk that was just talking nonsense."

"NO!" Spyro shouted, turning around to face her, letting tears fall. "He was absolutely right about everything! Malefor is the greatest dragon ever, and I'm just some student that was raised by dragonflies." He looked away from Cynder with his eyes shut and sat on his haunches. "Ever since Ignitus told the truth about what I am, I've always wanted to know who my mother and father were. But no one, not even the Guardians, knew who they were. After the ape threat, every parent came and took their egg or stayed at the temple. All except for mine. My own parents didn't even come forward when my egg was missing… They abandoned me." After his last sentence, Spyro broke down as years of bottled up emotions erupted from the purple dragon. Tears streamed down his cheeks from his watery eyes, and dropped to the grass beneath him.

Cynder was almost in tears. She couldn't relate to Spyro's life because she actually knew her parents, she knew what the love of a mother and a father was like. However, Spyro never had the chance to have the same experience. She could only comfort him and that was what she planned to do. She walked up to Spyro and nuzzled her head under his chin. This seemed to calm him down a bit.

"Spyro," she said calmly, "You are an amazing dragon who is selfless and caring. I will not say that I know how you feel, because I don't. Unlike you, I knew my parents, but you have to look at what you have now. You have foster parents that treat you like a real son, including a brother. You also have wonderful friends…" she paused pulling away and looking deep into Spyro's amethyst eyes. "Including me," she finished with a slight blush.

Spyro looked back into her emerald eyes with a smile. He went with the moment and leaned in, nuzzling her head with his own, making the dragoness smile at the contact. They stayed that way for a few peaceful moments.

Cynder pulled back, to both dragons' dismay, and said, "Let's go find the others, we don't want to be late for our appointments."

Spyro looked up to the sky and noticed that is was early afternoon. "You're right let's go," wiping leftover tears.

As they got ready to fly, Cynder spoke, "And Spyro,"

"Yes Cynder?"

"I wouldn't go to the Warfang Ball with any dragon but you." Spyro smiled as they took to the sky.

"So where is everyone?"

"Blaze and Glacia are at the temple, Electra and Volt are near that fountain, and Terrain and Gaia are looking around the southern half of the city."

Spyro was surprised, _They were really searching all over the city for me? Cynder's right, I do have great friends._ "So since you found me, where do we go?"

"Well," she answered, "we fly until they see us."

After ten minutes of flying, the others saw the two, and the group formed at the fountain.

Spyro was apologizing to everyone with Cynder next to him, "Guys, I'm sorry about what happened back there."

Blaze walked next to him patted him on the shoulder, "Hey, it's no problem. Don't worry about that moron or what he said. What matters is that you have friends that care."

Spyro looked at Cynder and said, "Cynder, I'm sorry for upsetting you, I shouldn't have tried to claw that dragon. I was just so angry."

The black dragoness gave him a comforting hug and replied, "I wasn't upset, I was scared. Scared that you would do something that you would regret."

"And I would have," he said, breaking from the hug and facing the rest of the group, "so, don't we have somewhere to be?"

"After the amount of time from lunch to finding you, I think so," Blaze said earning a glare from Glacia. They all then headed to their respective shops.

* * *

"Hello Blaze, you are here a little early," said the red dragon.

"Yeah, is everything ready though, Flint?" Blaze asked.

Flint nodded, "First door on the right."

As the four dragons walked to their assigned room, Spyro said, "I hope having someone help me wash and polish my scales is not as humiliating as I think it is." His friends groaned and rolled their eyes, at least the purple dragon was back to his old self.

* * *

"This way please," said the blue dragoness. The girls followed until they arrived to the room they were assigned to. "Let's get started stall we?" the dragoness closed the curtain behind her to shield them from others' view. "Now each of you step on a pedestal," she then pointed at Cynder, "But you need to remove you jewelry. I need to polish all of your scales. I'll get my things." She left the room.

Cynder sighed glumly and removed the bracers on her forelegs. "Hey, why so sad?" asked Gaia. "You can put them on after we're done."

"I know," replied the black dragoness, taking off her choker. When she removed it, she stared at the piece of jewelry for a moment, "They're just very special to me."

"Why?" Glacia asked picking up one of the leg bracers to examine it, "They're just iron."

Cynder smiled sadly at the choker and answered, "My mother made them for me." The girls stared at the black dragoness waiting for her to continue. "She designed them, and made them herself." Cynder laughed softly and continued, "She even burned herself, and my father was so upset at her for not telling him about what she was doing. He wasn't a forger or anything, but he was familiar with the art. She… she gave them to me just before they vanished." Cynder began to sniff as tears formed in her eyes at the memory. "They are the only things I have to remember them by." She went for her tail ring, but couldn't reach it. Before she could ask for help, Electra grabbed her tail and took off the ring for her.

Electra looked at the ring with interest. "Even though they're made of iron, your mom did a great job." She gave the ring to Cynder. "Your parents sound like they really loved you."

"They did," she sniffed, fighting back tears.

"Hey now," Glacia said going to Cynder and put a paw on her shoulder. "We're here to have a good time a get ready for the Ball tomorrow. Now is not the time for sad memories."

"You're right," Cynder replied with a small smile, wiping the tears away.

"Yes I am."

"Alright," came the blue dragoness's voice on the other side of the curtain. She walked in with a basket of several different special brushes and a few other objects to help with the polishing process. She looked at Cynder and said, "You can put your jewelry to the side, and I will polish them for you, and when I am done you can put them back on. I also noticed that you have white symbols on your head, shoulders, and tail."

Cynder nodded.

"I have something that will make them stand out more. Would you like me to do that?"

Cynder thought for a brief moment, _Well we are here so might as well. Maybe Spyro would like it._

"Yes."

"Splendid! Now let's get to work."


	8. The Warfang Ball

Chapter 8: The Warfang Ball

Today was the day of the Warfang Ball, and the residents of the temple were getting ready for the big event. Spyro was looking in his mirror, examining his newly polished scales from the day before. _I'm not gonna lie, they really did a good job, _he thought. He was trying to get his mind away from the black dragoness he would take to the ball in a little bit. He was more nervous now than he ever was, and the purple dragon was taking deep breaths to calm his nerves.

A knock came from his door.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"It's Incendia."

"Come in," he replied, and the fire dragoness walked into the room. Her scales were brightly polished, and she wore golden formal armor for the occasion. The armor covered her chest, and the base of her neck. Her back and sides were also covered down to her tail base, but the limbs of her wings were exposed so that she could still fly. The armor had a red trim.

"What are you doing here?" asked the purple dragon.

"I merely came to see how you were doing, this is your first ball after all," Incendia replied.

"I am just a bit nervous."

The dragoness smiled, "That is natural, just remember to be yourself."

Spyro gave the dragoness a nod.

"Good," she said, "I am going to check on Cynder to see how she is doing."

"Where is everyone else?"

"Terrain and Volt went to pick up their dragonesses, and Blaze and Glacia are about to leave. Do you want to walk to the Ball with them?"

Spyro shook his head, "No, I'm going to fly straight there with Cynder."

Incendia nodded, "Okay, I'll see you later then." She began to walk out.

"Incedia," Spyro stopped her. The fire dragoness turned her head to purple dragon waiting for him to speak again. "Thank you, for everything."

She smiled, "You're welcome Spyro." She left his room, leaving the dragon alone.

* * *

_They did a really good job. My scales and jewelry have never looked cleaner. _The black dragoness was examining herself in the mirror. She looked at her natural markings on her body— they used to be a dull grey-silver tint color, now they shone a white-silver color and stood out more. _I'm glad I went ahead and let them polish the markings. _She began to put on her foreleg bracers and choker. When she put on the choker, she put her paw on it and closed her eyes. _If only mom and dad were here, _she thought. She went for her tail ring.

"Let me help you with that," came a soothing voice.

Cynder spun around at saw Incendia standing in the middle of her room. "I would like that, thank you," not questioning on how Incendia got into the room without her knowing.

Incendia gave her a smile, walked over to her, and put on the circular piece of jewelry on her tail. "Where did you get these? They're beautiful."

"My mother made them for me," Cynder replied, "my father found out about it when she burnt herself forging them," she let out a small smile at the memory. "I always wear them to remind me of them."

Incendia looked at Cynder with sympathy. _She and Spyro really are alike, _she thought. "If they were here, they would no doubt say that they are proud to have a beautiful daughter."

The black dragoness smiled at the red dragoness' kind words. "Thank you, Incendia."

Incendia nodded and left to reunite with her mate, closing the door behind her.

Cynder waited patiently for the purple dragon. She was nervous, but the thought that she would be with Spyro calmed her. _Where is he?_

Just outside her room's door, Spyro stood trying to calm himself. "Here goes," he whispered to himself and knocked on the door, and after a few seconds the door slowly opened revealing the black dragoness. Spyro was absolutely stunned. Her scales were perfectly polished, her claws and horns were pearl white, and her iron jewelry were shining in the light. Her symbols stood out to perfection.

Cynder looked at Spyro in a similar manner. His scales were polished, and his horns were clean for the occasion. Both couldn't say a word for a moment, until Spyro decided to break the silence.

"Cynder, you look… beautiful."

Cynder blushed, "Thank you Spyro, you look handsome yourself."

It was now his turn to blush.

"So, uh, do you want to head out?"

"Sure." After Spyro walked in, Cynder closed her door. They walked over to her balcony and flew into the evening, almost night, sky. It was a smooth flight in silence, as both dragons enjoyed each other's company, and soon landed in front of large building not too far from the temple. It was made of stone, like other buildings, but was meant for events such as the Warfang Ball.

"Are you ready?" asked Spyro, Cynder gave him a smile and nodded. Spyro coiled his tail around hers, causing her to look back at their tails in response, making him blush. Before he could retract his tail, she tightened her hold and nuzzled her head under his chin. Spyro's face heated up more, but he returned the gesture. They broke apart and walked into the building, still holding their coiled embrace.

* * *

The ballroom was blazing with dragons. It was large and the ceiling of the room was high. There were dragons eating, dancing, socializing, and anything else one can do at a ball. Along the sides of the room were tables set up for feasting and socializing. The middle was for dancing, and although dragons don't usually stand up on their hind legs, they did when dancing with a partner. This allows them to give each other support for a dance.

"It is that time of year again," said Incendia to her mate. The fire dragon pair were on a two foot platform in the middle of the front wall of the room.

Ignitus nodded with a smile, "Yes, I still remember the first ball we went to together." Incendia gave him a loving nuzzle. The Fire Guardian wore armor that matched his mate's.

Terrador was on the platform not far from the pair with his mate and son. They all wore armor similar to Ignitus's and Incendia's, however, the color was silver and the trim was green. Terrador and his son had plates of metal cover the back of their necks, and his son wore helmet that covered most of his face.

"You know, you don't have to wear the helmet, Boldor," said Terrador.

"I know dad, but I am just so used to wearing it. Besides, I want to be one of the few who wears a helmet because they are in the guard, not because they are rich," said the younger earth dragon. He was the spitting image of his father, but he had his mother's scale color and eyes.

"He is definitely your son, Terrador," Emera commented, "just like when you were a young Guardian." Emera had light green scales with light brown chest, underbelly, wing membranes, and eyes. Her two horns curved back like Terrador's, however, they were slightly thinner than her mate's

Terrador raised a brow, "Are you saying that I'm old?"

Emera giggled, "No, but you are certainly not young like Volteer."

Volteer looked over at the earth dragon family at the sound of his name. His armor was silver and had yellow-gold trim, and the design was very close to Ignitus's.

"And what does that mean?" Volteer asked curiously.

"It's nothing, Volteer," She replied. "How long until you pass on your title? You weren't Guardian for that long."

"We've been Guardians for thirty years," Volteer replied, "Why do you think that is not long?"

"Well, I heard the longer cycles are one hundred years."

"That is the maximum limit, yes," the Electric Guardian answered. "However, it depends on what is happening in the realms. If there is a long period of peace, then the Guardians will continue their roles for longer time periods. For us, we had to deal with Warfang's slight expansion and the ape incident almost twenty years ago."

Terrador nodded, "It can also be for personal reasons. Ignitus and Incendia have been talking."

"About what?" Emera asked.

"They are thinking about having hatchlings again."

The green dragoness smiled, "That sounds like a wonderful idea." She leaned her head into the Earth Guardian's neck. Terrador instantly picked up what she meant and nuzzled her, answering her unspoken question. "After all, they still have a long time until the ancestors take them."

"Approximately one thousand years," The Electric Guardian stated.

"What?" Emera questioned pulling away from Terrador.

"The average life span of a dragon is one thousand years."

Emera smiled, wanting to test Volteers' knowledge of dragons. "Alright Volteer, do you know what ages dragons develop the ability to mate and have hatchlings?" Terridor raised a brow, mentally asking the ancestors what possessed his mate to ask such a question.

"Dragons' reproductive organs are fully functional at the age of fifteen, this is also the age for females."

The earth dragon couple stared at the electric dragon in disbelief. It was Emera that spoke, trying to stump the electric dragon, "What would happen if they were to mate younger than those ages?"

"It would be impossible to have hatchlings, unless there is a special defect that allowed it. However, it would need to be present in both the male and the female."

There was a brief moment of silence, until Emera asked, "How do you know all of that?"

Volteer raised a brow, "I read a lot of books."

The green dragoness looked to her mate, "Everything he said, is he right?"

"Yes," Volteer answered for Terrador.

"I think we deviated from the original conversation way too much," said Terrador.

"How did we get to this part of the conversation?" Volteer asked rhetorically.

"So," Emera said, "when do you officially step down as Electric Guardian?"

"It is required to teach the next generation of Guardians for a minimum of two years. Usually it takes three or four years, that is for the master to determine if their student is fit for the duties of a Guardian. Volt is a great student, I expect him to conclude the training in an estimated total of three years. I am passing down my title so that this generation of Guardians will last for a long time period."

Emera nodded, actually understanding what the Electric Guardian said, "Okay, so how old were you where you started training?"

"I was 18 years of age when I was chosen. I finished in just over two years, so I was officially a Guardian at age 20."

Emera was shocked, "20 years old! I knew that you are the youngest Guardian, but… how old was the youngest before you?"

Volteer thought for a brief moment, "I believe that the next was…I need to be sure, 23 years old or so, Cyril was 24 years old when he became an official Guardian."

"That's a three year difference," Emera noted, again shocked. "I don't know why you are still single," she said with a smirk, "Cyril is not much older than you, and he is always talking with a dragoness."

As if to state her point she gestured to the mentioned Ice Guardian with an azure blue, ice dragoness. Her chest, underbelly, and wing membranes were icy blue, and had two similar colored horns which curved back. The end of her tail was white and was in the shape of an icicle, and her eyes where like sapphires.

Cyril and the dragoness were laughing and talking. He wore silver armor with light blue trim. He did not have metal neck plates, but he had light blue gems decorated on the armor, making it obvious that he came from nobility.

The three dragons could just make out the ice dragons' conversation.

"Shall we dance, Aurora?" Cyril asked.

"I'm not sure," the dragoness replied, turning her head to hide her blush.

"We didn't have a dance last year. What is worrying you so much?"

"I just… never danced before, and I never learned how."

The Ice Guardian smiled, "How about you and I dance tonight? I can show you how to properly dance at formal events like this."

Aurora smiled, "I'll think about it."

Emera spoke again, "I thought I've seen Cyril with that dragoness before." She turned her attention back to Volteer, "Like I said, you should have dragonesses swarming you." The earth dragoness added a slight laugh.

Volteer let out a soft sigh and looked towards the dancing dragons, "You would think that."

Terrador felt sympathy for his Guardian friend. Volteer knew everything from history to martial-arts, magic to battle tactics, but when it came to females, he was mess. Volteer always wore a cheery and happy-go-lucky attitude, but when the topic of love came into view, it was one of the very few times Volteer had nothing to say.

"Hi, Volteer," came a voice behind the Electric Guardian. Volteer turned around to see Volt and Electra.

"Hello, Volt, Electra," he greeted back, his cheerful voice returning. "How are you two this evening?"

"Good," Volt answered, "Just waiting for Spyro and Cynder."

"Right behind you," Volt and Electra jumped with a surprised yelp causing the Guardian to laugh.

"Spyro! You scared me!"

Spyro tried hard to not laugh, and Cynder was giggling next to him with their tails still intertwined. "Sorry," the purple dragon apologized, "Where is Blaze, Terrain, and the girls?"

"They are around here in the room," Volt answered. "We are just hanging tight for Ignitus and Malefor to say a few words."

"Excuse me," Ignitus's voice boomed, "May I have everyone's attention please." The room grew silent and everyone directed their attention to the Fire Guardian. "Thank you all for coming to this marvelous event. As you all know, there is a visitor in Warfang. He is here tonight at this Warfang Ball. I am honored to present the purple dragon himself, Malefor." The room exploded in cheers as Malefor revealed himself to the crowd.

He walked next to Ignitus waiting for the crowd to settle. After a few moments, the crowd calmed down and Malefor stepped forward and spoke, "Thank you, Ignitus, and thank you citizens of Warfang for your hospitality." The crowd once again erupted in cheers as Malefor walked back next to Ignitus.

Once the crowd started to quiet down Ignitus said, "Now, let us enjoy this year's Warfang Ball." A few dragons let out a last cheer before returning to their activities.

Spyro looked at Volt, "So what now?" he asked. Suddenly, a rumble was heard that came from his stomach.

"Really?" Volt asked jokingly, unfortunately for him his stomach too rumbled, and the girls couldn't help but laugh.

"Okay, let's get you guys fed," Electra said trying not to laugh. The four dragons walked toward the tables on the side to look for a spot to sit.

Incendia looked to her mate, "Ignitus? Where are Blaze and Glacia?"

"Over there," he answered, pointing with his paw at the young couple dancing together. The younger dragons were standing on their hind legs, like the other dragons dancing. Blaze had his forelegs around Glacia's back while she had her forelegs around his neck, Glacia had her head nuzzled under his chin. Both of their eyes were closed and they were just swaying back and forth, slowly turning, and both of them had a smile.

Incendia smiled, "They remind me of us back then."

Ignitus took her paw with his and asked, "Incendia? May I have this dance?"

His mate smiled and awarded him a kiss on his cheek, "Of course you may." The fire couple walked into the crowd.

Terrador noticed this and looked at his own mate, "Would you like to dance?" Emera nodded with a smile.

Boldor let out a soft sigh, not sure as to what he should do. He had no partner, and his parents were going to leave him alone so they could dance. He gazed around the large room, looking over the dancing dragons, to the many conversing at the tables.

Then his eyes were fixed on a single figure, a lone dragoness. She was a green earth dragon, with her chest, underbelly, and wing membranes a dark brown, with a tint of red. Her two horns were the same color as her body, and they curved back very slightly. Boldor was drawn to her, but was not sure if he should approach.

The Guardian of Earth glanced at his son looking at the green dragoness, "Go ahead," Terrador encouraged.

Boldor glanced at his father, then back to the dragoness. Making up his mind, he walked over to her. Taking a deep breath he spoke to get her attention, "Hello."

The dragoness looked at Boldor, "Hello," she replied.

"My name is Boldor," he spoke, hiding his nervousness.

"My name is Terra. It's nice to meet you," Terra replied. "Are you part of the Guard?" she asked examining his helmet.

"Yes," Boldor answered with a nod.

"Are you a captain?"

He smiled, "No, I'm not. There is no designated rank below captain, so I am just a member of the Guard."

Terra smiled and turned her gaze to the crowd of dragons. Boldor tilted his head slightly, taking notice of the look of her bright green eyes. Her eyes had a similar look that his own light brown eyes had before he saw her.

He asked, "May I ask why you are alone?"

She sighed and looked back at the earth dragon, "I came with my friends, but they left with their boyfriends. So it's just me"

Boldor let a small smile form on his lips, "Well, I am alone too. Would you like to dance with me?"

She looked passed his helmet and into his eyes with a smile, "I would love to."

Boldor brought up a wing as a gesture for her to follow him to the dance floor

As the two earth dragons made their way to the dance floor, Terrador smiled at his son. "Now we can go," he said to his mate as they walked to the dance floor.

Volteer let out a soft sigh, this normally happened at the Balls; Ignitus, Incendia, Terrador, and Emera would be together and dance, and Cyril socialized and danced with a dragoness that caught his eye, or the other way around. Volteer wouldn't dare talk to the dragonesses, he would humiliate himself, and Cyril would never let him hear the end of it. The Electric Guardian would always be stuck alone trying to find some way to pass the night.

"You've changed, Volteer."

Volteer turned around and saw a red dragoness with an orange chest, underbelly, and wing membranes. She had four white horns; two large ones and two smaller ones below the larger horns. All of them curved slightly back in the same way. She had bright blue eyes. The armor she wore was silver and had an identical design as Incendia's, and it also had red trim.

Volteer was confused, "I mean no disrespect, but… do I know you?"

The dragoness sat on her haunches and curled her tail around her body so that it laid on her paws. "You really don't remember me?" she sadly asked as her face fell.

Volteer cocked his head to the right slightly and narrowed his eyes a little. He thought for a moment to figure out who this dragoness was. He eyes widened as realization hit him.

"Flare?"

* * *

"This food is great," Volt commented as he ate. Spyro nodded in agreement and continued to devour the lamb on his plate.

Electra shook her head sighing, "You boys are bottomless pits, I swear." She looked at Spyro who just finished his lamb and was taking some bites of fruit. "How is the fruit Spyro?"

"It's good. Why do you ask?" Spyro questioned.

"Well, you are the fruit expert," Electra pointed out, eating a purple grape.

"I guess it is one of the many habits I got from being raised by dragonflies." He took a bite of a green grape he had on his plate.

Cynder looked at the grapes curiously, "Can I try one, Spyro?" Spyro nodded and gave her one. She examined the green fruit in her paw, having never eaten one before, and put it in her mouth and began to chew. "Wow," she said swallowing it, "it's good."

Spyro nodded, "The green grapes have a kick to them, whereas purple grapes," he pointed to Electra's plate of purple grapes, "are plain and juicy. Personally, I prefer the green grapes."

"Hey Electra," Volt asked with a slight stutter.

"Yes, Volt?" the electric dragoness asked.

"Would you like to dance with me?"

"Of course, I'd love to," she answered, giving the electric apprentice a peck on the cheek, making his face heat up. The two electric dragons got up and walked to the middle of the ballroom with the other dancing dragon, leaving Spyro and Cynder alone.

There was an awkward silence the two dragons for a moment. "So Spyro," Cynder started, getting his attention, "what was it like being raised by dragonflies."

Spyro began to tell her his life story, "It is not as bad as you think."

* * *

"Flare?"

The red dragoness smiled and unwound her tail. "So, you do remember me. I was getting worried that your memory was starting to go," she said with a smirk.

Volteer shook his head, "No, no, my memory is just fine. I just haven't seen you in a long time."

"Well, that's because you never visited."

"You should know why I never visit," Volteer replied with slight anger in his voice, "Besides, it's not like anyone except mother cared."

Flare gave a glare that would've killed Volteer if looks could do so, "I cared."

Volteer saw how he let his emotions get out of control, "I'm sorry, Flare. My life hasn't been easy, even after being a Guardian. Let alone the youngest."

"It's okay. Besides, I liked that you were the one I was partnered with back then," she said with a small smile.

Volteer smiled again, "Yes, back during the partnered sparring matches." Memories began to flow through his mind, "we never lost."

"I would say I was the power and you were the brains."

"Are you saying I'm weak?" Volteer said, pretending to be annoyed.

"Of course I'm not saying you are weak," she said in her defense, "I'm saying that you _were_ weak. You were scrawny back then." Her eyes scanned the Guardian's body, "I see that you bulked up."

Volteer glanced away from Flare, heat rushing to his face, "Let's just say, that Guardian training did a number on me. So, what are you doing here in Warfang?"

"Well, I hope you remember my dream, right?"

Volteer nodded, "You had two; to become a Guardian or a teacher."

"How do you remember my dreams, but not remember me?" the fire dragoness asked jokingly.

Volteer gave a weak smile, "Sorry."

Flare smiled, "I'm just playing. But yes, since a Guardian for fire has been chosen, I still want to be a teacher. There was a tournament held last week for fire dragons, and I won. I got a message from the Fire Guardian, Ignitus, to live at the temple."

This surprised Volteer, "I was not aware of this."

"It was sent by Ignitus himself. I will learn how to properly teach the fire element at the temple."

"You mean Ignitus is going to teach both you and Blaze?"

"No," she shook her head, "I will have the privilege to help train the purple dragon. Not Malefor," she clarified, "the younger one. What is his name?"

"Spyro."

"Yes, and Incendia will also help me. According to Ignitus, she is getting… lonely?"

"That sounds like Incendia," Volteer commented, "With both Ignitus and Blaze busy, she has no one to pass time with. You will like her, she will give great advice about anything."

There was a brief moment of silence, Flare looked over to the crowd of dancing dragons while Volteer looked at the fire dragoness.

"Flare?" She looked into his eyes as he looked back into hers. "Would you like to dance, with me?"

Flare gave him a heartwarming smile, "I would love to, Volteer." They both walked through the crowd to find a spot to begin. When they did, they got on their hind legs and began to dance. "When did you learn to dance?" the fire dragoness asked.

"I never did. In fact, this is my very first dance. I am only doing what I have seen others do," Volteer said sheepishly.

Flare smiled, "Well, you dance like you've done it your whole life."

Volteer smiled back, "You know I'm a fast learner."

Not far to the side, Incendia saw the two, "It's about time he got out of his shell." She looked at Ignitus, "Did you have something to do with this?"

He shook his head, "No, I know that Volteer mentioned a Flare quite some time ago, but I didn't know that this was her."

As the dance continued, Flare pressed her head under Volteer's chin with a smile. The electric dragon was surprised at first, but smiled nonetheless and went with the moment.

Several minutes passed and the two dragons broke from their dance. "That was nice," the fire dragoness stated, earning a nod from the Electric Guardian. "So, I'll see you at the temple. If you are not busy, that is."

"I'll be sure to make time for you," Volteer replied.

Flare gave him a smile and walked away. A warm feeling crept into Volteer's chest, something he had not felt in a long time.

* * *

"So after that, Sparx and I came to Warfang," Spyro concluded his story.

"Wow," Cynder was amazed, "That is something."

"Like I said when we first met; despite being raised by dragonflies, I turned out pretty good."

Cynder giggled at the memory. _No, you turned out perfect,_ she thought.

"You should tell me your story sometime."

"Yeah, sometime," she replied softly.

Spyro looked over at the many dragons dancing and then back to Cynder. _Now's my chance. _"Cynder?"

"Yes Spyro?"

"W… Would you like to dance with me?" Spyro asked, blushing.

Cynder blushed too, but smiled, "I… I would love to." They walked into the middle of the crowd and faced each other. "I've never danced before," she said, slightly embarrassed.

"Neither have I, so we'll learn together," The purple dragon got on his hind legs, keeping his balance. Cynder, got on her hind legs, but slipped forward into Spyro, "Wow," he caught her, "I got you."

Cynder looked up at Spyro, blushing in embarrassment, "Sorry."

"It's okay," they started to sway and turn, keeping their eyes on each other. The outside world didn't matter to them. Cynder nuzzled her head into Spyro's neck, closing her eyes and causing the dragon to smile and nuzzle the top of her head.

From a distance, the group of friends were looking at the couple. "It's about time," said Blaze. The others nodded happily that their friend had finally found his love, and it was a friend they made over a week ago.

The Guardians were talking amongst themselves as Incendia saw the young couple dancing with each other. She said nothing, but had a smile for them.

Several blissful minutes when by. Spyro and Cynder broke from their close embrace. Spyro looked into Cynder's shining emerald eyes as she looked back into his amethyst ones. Only one thing was left to complete the perfect moment. Spyro began to lean toward Cynder, and she did the same. Their faces were centimeters apart when they stopped for a brief second. They closed their eyes as their lips met in a passionate kiss, and after half a minute they pulled apart.

Looking back into his eyes Cynder whispered, "That was… wonderful."

Spyro nodded, "Was… was that your first kiss, too?" she nodded in response. They nuzzled each other again enjoying the moment.

However, the night had to eventually come to an end, as Cynder let out a soft yawn.

"Looks like it is time to go home," he said, letting out his own yawn. Cynder reluctantly nodded, as neither wanted the night to end. The two new lovers pulled apart from their embrace and walked toward the exit.

Blaze walked over to them, "Where are you guys going?"

"We're going back to the temple," Spyro answered, "We're tired."

"Okay, see you tomorrow."

The two dragons flew off into the night to the temple, and after a few minutes of silence, they landed on the large balcony of the temple rather than one of their room balconies. They walked through the corridors until they were in front of Spyro's room.

Cynder broke the long silence, "I had a wonderful time Spyro."

"So did I," the purple dragon replied. Just before Cynder turned to go to her room. Spyro stopped her, "Cynder."

"Yes?"

"I… I have to tell you something." Cynder listened carefully and curiously about what he had to say. Spyro took a deep breath, "For the longest time I have been alone. All my friends were happy with someone, and I never experienced that kind of happiness. But then, I met you." Spyro looked into her emerald eyes, "You made me the happiest dragon in the realms ever since you got here. You are smart, strong, kind, and most of all, beautiful." Cynder's eyes were watering, no one has ever said anything so thoughtful to her before. "And Cynder," This was it, he had been waiting days for this moment. "I love you."

Cynder was speechless. Tears began to roll down her cheeks. At first Spyro thought he messed up, but Cynder smiled as she rubbed her tears away. "Spyro," she said struggling to find her voice, "You are the best dragon I have ever met. You gave me everything I wanted, even though you had no idea who I was, but you helped me anyway." She looked into his amethyst colored eyes with a smile. "I love you too."

They both leaned into each other for a passionate kiss. It was just as good as the one at the ball, but something felt different with this one. They had admitted their love and locked it with this kiss. This kiss was the first step in their newly formed relationship. They broke apart, nuzzling their foreheads together.

Spyro asked, "Do you want to sleep with me tonight?" Cynder broke away with a blush on her face. Spyro immediately knew his poor choice of words, "No, no, no. I mean, sleep in my room with me… not you know… because we are too young, well actually we are the age too, but that is not what I-" He was cut off by Cynder's lips meeting his again for a brief second.

"I know, you are just cute when you are nervous." Spyro blushed, "I would love to sleep in your room." They walked into his room over to the bed. Cynder crawled onto the bed and laid down waiting for her love. Spyro laid down so that his chest was against Cynder's back. He pulled the blanket over them, and laid his head next to hers, careful to not touch her horns.

"Good-night Cynder. I love you."

"Good-night Spyro. I love you too."

Soon, sleep overtook the two dragons and they quickly dozed off, both with smiles as they dreamed of the other.


	9. Aftermath

Chapter 9: Aftermath

The morning was slow for the temple residents, due to the events of the previous night. Ignitus and Incendia were up and awake. The two fire dragon mates were making their way to the students' corridor.

"Why do we need to wake him? Why not let Spyro sleep in?" Incendia asked her mate.

"He needs to know that he is going to have a new instructor for his training."

"You mean Flare?" Incendia questioned, "I meant to ask. How did you meet her?"

"I knew that I would be busy teaching Blaze to be a Fire Guardian, so I wanted someone who could teach Spyro, and possibly next generation fire users," Ignitus explained. "I used my 'personal time off' to search for fire dragons who had potential in fire. Flare was one of them. There was a competition last week and Flare was the winner. So, she will be here to instruct Spyro, and you can also give her advice on teaching while we prepare for dragons who wish to learn."

"Finally figuring out that I am getting lonely and bored, are we?" Incendia asked with a smirk.

Ignitus halted their walk and nuzzled her snout with his own, "I know that Blaze and I have been distant from you, and for that, I am sorry. My duties interfere with my time with you, but you have to understand that it is necessary until Blaze is capable of being a Fire Guardian."

His mate returned his nuzzle, "I know. I appreciate that you are giving me something to do in the meantime. Why didn't you tell me that Flare had a history with Volteer?"

"Like I said last night, I didn't know that it was the same Flare he mentioned to me."

They came to Spyro's room, opened the door, and looked across the room. On the bed was the purple dragon with something against him. The two mates exchanged glances and walked over to the bed quietly. When the pair was next to the bed, they couldn't help but smile at the scene. Cynder and Spyro's underbellies were pressed against each other. Cynder was snuggled into Spyro's chest, with Spyro's head on top of hers. In the night, Spyro had wrapped his forelegs around the dragoness's body.

Incendia leaned over to her mate and whispered, "Let's let these two sleep in a bit. We can have Blaze tell Spyro about Flare later."

Ignitus looked at his mate and saw a smirk. He nodded and the couple left the room just as quietly as they came in.

A few minutes later, Cynder stirred and opened her eyes. She felt something against her and saw that it was Spyro. A hot blush rose to her cheeks, but it subsided when she remembered their confessions the previous night. She smiled and nuzzled closer to the purple dragon, causing him to stir. He opened his amethyst eyes and saw the black dragoness, nuzzling into his neck. The purple dragon closed his eyes and returned Cynder's nuzzle.

"Good-morning," she said, pressing into his chest.

"Good-morning," he replied back.

"Last night was… wonderful."

"It was," he pulled away from the dragoness to look into her eyes. "I love you Cynder."

"I love you too," she replied giving him a kiss on his lips.

After a moment, they broke apart and Cynder rested her head on his chest, listening to the purple dragon's heartbeat.

"I want to stay like this forever."

Spyro nodded in agreement, "Unfortunately, we have to get up."

Cynder gave a frustrated sigh, but knew that he was right. To both of their displeasure, Spyro got off the bed and stretched. Cynder followed and the new couple left the room to start their day.

* * *

Volteer stood alone in the main corridor waiting for Flare to arrive. _According to Ignitus, Flare should be here any minute,_ he thought. Not long after, the doors opened and revealed the mentioned fire dragoness.

"Hello?" she asked as she walked in, the doors closing behind her.

"Hello Flare. It's good to see you again," Volteer said with a smile, walking over to her.

"Volteer. Where is everyone?"

"They are going over their own duties. Mine is to show you to your room, and then later I must meet with the other Guardians. I thought that we could catch up before I meet with the others."

"That would be nice."

As the two dragons began to walk down the main corridor, Volteer asked, "How long were you in Warfang prior to today?"

"I arrived three days ago, and stayed at an inn until I left today."

The Electric Guardian nodded as they continued from the main entrance, "First, the students' rooms are on the left and ours are on the right." Flare nodded and they entered the Guardian's corridor. "I figured that I would just show you around while we catch up. Most of the rooms are obvious of what their general purpose is. Here is your room."

They stopped in front of what is now her room. It was next to Volteer's room, while his was next to Incendia and Ignitus's room. Terrador and Cyril's rooms were right across the hall, with Terrador's across from Ignitus's and Cyril's across from Volteer's.

He opened the door and let her in. "Sorry if it is not much." The room was a little larger than the students' rooms. It had a large bed on the back wall, and an empty bookcase on the left wall. A balcony was on to the left of the bed.

"It's fine, Volteer, I just have some touching up to do later. Let's get going." They left the room and continued the tour.

"So," Volteer said, trying to start the conversation, "How is it back home?"

"It's fine."

"How are your parents doing?"

Flare smiled softly, "They were a little sad, but happy to see me leave. I honestly never expected to come to Warfang." She faced Volteer again, "Your parents are doing fine too."

"I bet father is," he almost spat.

Flare looked away. Volteer never got along with his father, whereas, his mother always showed him love. Volteer valued books and knowledge over strength, but his father said otherwise. His father made his life difficult, and when Volteer was beaten during sparring matches, his father didn't help, but his mother would do what she could. Volteer eventually used his love of books to study electric techniques. His curiosity lead him to learning a little about the other elements. When teams were made for sparring matches, Flare and Volteer were paired up. They were a perfect match.

Later, a competition was held to send an electric dragon to Warfang to compete in a tournament to determine the next Electric Guardian. Volteer won the local competition and left home that same day. Even after winning and being confirmed by the Electric Guardian as his apprentice, Volteer never returned home.

Flare spoke, "Your parents loved you."

"I know my mother did, but father had a humorous way of showing his 'love'," he snorted.

"Volteer," Flare said, sternly stopping her walk to stand in front of Volteer, causing the electric dragon to stop. "I know that dragons back home thought less of you, but does it not cross your mind how important you are to others? Like me?" The two dragons looked into each other's eyes. "You were my closest friend, you were always there to pick me up when I was down. You always found a way to make me smile, to brighten my day. Despite how you were treated, you were still the cheery dragon I was paired up with, and after these years, you are still that dragon. So instead of thinking about how others impacted your life, think about how you impacted other's lives."

It was dead quiet as Flare's words echoed in Volteer's head. Without warning, Volteer hugged Flare, causing a blush to form on her cheeks. She thanked the ancestors for giving her red scales.

"Thank you, Flare. I needed that."

Flared hugged him back, "You're welcome."

"I need to meet up with the others since we got… a bit sidetracked. You can explore the temple if you want."

She nodded and Volteer walked past her. She looked into his direction until he was out of sight.

"You like him don't you?"

Flare jumped and turned around and saw Incendia. "Oh, Incendia. You're Ignitus' mate." Part of her wanted to know how neither she nor Volteer saw Incendia.

"Yes," Incendia answered, "and I see that you have an eye on a certain Electric Guardian."

"No, that was comforting a friend."

"Oh," the older dragoness shrugged, "I was just seeing if my hunch was correct."

"That I liked him?"

Incendia nodded, "My mistake. Anyways, you two were partners for sparring matches?"

"Yes," Flare confirmed, "and I believe that we were the best there was."

"Why is that?" the older fire dragoness asked curiously.

"We had strong bond of trust with each other. I trust him with my life."

Incendia raised a brow, "That is a very strong statement to make."

Flare nodded, "I owe him it too."

"Owe him what?" Incendia asked.

"My life. He saved my life once. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here right now."

There was a brief moment of silence. "Well," said Incendia, "I better check up on Blaze and the others," Incendia finally said, "it was nice chatting with you," Incendia walked away. Before she left she looked over her shoulder and said, "You should just tell him." She walked out of Flare's sight.

Flare would never admit it to anyone, but she did like Volteer. Ever since they became a team. _If only it were as easy as that, _she thought turning around to look around the temple.

* * *

"So, this dragoness, Flare, was chosen by Ignitus to teach me here in Warfang?" The entire group, including Gaia and Electra, were chatting in the dining room for breakfast.

Blaze nodded, "He said that she will give you fire lessons so that he can focus on me, but more importantly, he wants to spend more time with mom. The other Guardians aren't planning on doing the same."

Spyro wasn't too sure about this. He enjoyed his lessons with Ignitus and Blaze. _Why not give her a chance_, he thought. "Okay, when do I start?" Blaze gave him a shrug saying that he didn't know. "Oh well. What do we do now?" The others shrugged not sure how to pass time. None of the apprentices had training until later in the day.

"So what did you all think of the Ball?" Gaia asked.

"Good as always!" Electra said nuzzling Volt, who gave a nod.

"I almost can't wait till next year," Blaze replied.

Glacia turned to Spyro and Cynder, "How was your first experience at the Warfang Ball?"

Spyro and Cynder looked at each other. "Should we tell them?" whispered Cynder.

The purple dragon nodded and looked back at their friends, all of them waiting for an answer. "Well… you see," Spyro wrapped his tail around Cynder's and rubbed his head against Cynder's.

"Oh… my… ancestors!" shouted Electra, causing Spyro and Cynder to smile.

"When did this happen?" asked Gaia.

"Well," Cynder started "It was in two parts, first, at the Ball, we shared a dance… and a kiss." Spyro and Cynder's cheeks went red when the black dragoness mentioned the last part.

Spyro took over, "And after we got back to the temple, we confessed our love for each other." He nuzzled Cynder again, the girls let out 'awws.'

A familiar voice came from behind them. "So, purple boy got himself a girl."

Spyro knew that voice all too well. He spun around and saw a familiar golden dragonfly.

"Sparx!" Spyro unwrapped his tail from Cynder's and ran over to his adopted brother, "How are you?"

"I'm fine, I would ask you the same question, but…" he looked over at Cynder, "I think the lovey-dovey scene spoke for itself."

"Where's Silver?" asked Spyro.

"She is on her way here with, guess who?"

The purple dragon shook his head, "I don't know, who?"

The answer came almost immediately, "Hello Spyro!"

Spyro looked past Sparx to see Silver with two familiar dragonflies. One blue, and the other pink, with a tint of red. The voice came from the pink dragonfly.

"Mom! Dad!" completely forgetting everything else, he ran over to his adopted parents. He stopped in front of them and they hugged his muzzle.

"It's good to see you again, Spyro," Nina said.

"Yes, it's been quite some time since we last saw you," Flash commented.

Spyro nodded in agreement and looked back at his friends and Cynder, "Mom, dad. There is someone I would like you to meet." Spyro walked over to Cynder, making her slightly nervous. This was the first time she would meet his adopted parents. Spyro walked next to her and said, "Mom, dad, I would like you to meet the dragoness I love, Cynder."

"It's nice to meet you," Cynder politely said.

"Oh, Spyro. She's beautiful," said Nina, making Cynder blush. "And you said you would never find someone to love."

Everyone laughed, causing Spyro to blush, "Mom!" he groaned. Cynder giggled and nuzzled Spyro's cheek to calm him down. It seemed to work, as Spyro nuzzled back.

"Now, isn't that the cutest thing?" Nina asked Flash, who nodded with a small smile. When Spyro and Cynder broke apart, Nina flew over to Cynder, "It is wonderful to see you Cynder. My name is Nina, and this is Flash."

"It is nice to see you, Cynder," said Flash, "please take care of him."

Cynder gave Spyro a kiss on his cheek, "I plan to."

"And you, young man," Nina pointed at Spyro, "you better take good care of her. Remember everything we told you, especially about-"

"Yes, I know mom!" he replied, not wanting her to mention 'the talk.'

"Good," Nina said, satisfied with his answer as she flew back to Flash. "Now, Sparx and Silver are going to show us around the city. There have been some additions since we were last here."

Silver flew over to Spyro and Cynder, "Spyro, it's nice to see you have found that special someone." Spyro blushed slightly and nodded. Silver looked at Cynder, "And Cynder, I've known Spyro for a while. He will treat you right, and he will do whatever he can to make you happy."

Cynder smiled and rested her head against Spyro's. Silver smiled at the two dragons and flew off with Sparx and his parents.

"Well that was a nice reunion."

The group of dragons turned behind them to see Incendia.

"Hey mom," Blaze said.

"Hello son," Incendia, "I want to talk to Spyro and Cynder really quick."

The purple dragon and black dragoness exchanged glances, and walked with the fire dragoness. When they were on the other side of the dining room.

"Did you two enjoy your night?" Incendia asked softly, the two dragons nodded with smiles. However, Incendia let out a smirk, "I mean your night in Spyro's room." Spyro and Cynder's smiles dropped and were replaced with looks of shock.

"How do you know?" Spyro asked quickly.

"Ignitus and I went to wake you up, and found Cynder with you," Cynder's cheeks reddened in response. "You two just looked so cute that I had him wait to tell you about Flare." A hot blush made its way on Spyro's face. Incendia giggled at the couple's actions, "Anyway, you will be training with Flare later today. So you two can get to know each other." She began to walk away, but stopped to say, "Don't worry, Ignitus and I won't tell anyone." She gave a wink and walked out of the room.

When Spyro and Cynder went back to their friends. Terrain asked, "What was that about Spyro?"

"Nothing. She was just telling us that I train with Flare today," Spyro refused to tell them the other part of the conversation. He turned his attention to Cynder, "Do you want to spend time together before I have to train?"

The black dragoness nodded with a smile, and the pair walked off, leaving the rest of the group of six dragons to themselves.

Gaia spoke up, "Is it me, or did those two hit it off faster than either us?" The others all nodded in agreement.


	10. Past Revealed

Chapter 10: Past Revealed

Spyro was sitting on his haunches in the training room waiting for Flare, his new fire instructor. Ignitus had explained how she was chosen for the task of being a teacher and what he knew of her history with Volteer. _Now that I think about it, _he thought, _He was talking and dancing with a fire dragoness last night at the Ball. That had to have been Flare._ One thing on his mind was a conversation he had with Cynder before he arrived in the training room.

* * *

_ "__Spyro, I think that we should tell Malefor about us."_

_ "__You're probably right," he replied. "When should we tell him?"_

_ "__I will, while you are training with Flare," she answered._

_ "__No, we are in this together."_

_ "__This is something I should do on my own. Please, Spyro."_

_Spyro let out a sigh, "Okay, I'll see you after my training session. I love you, Cynder."_

_ "__I love you too, Spyro."_

* * *

Spyro was cut from the memory as the door of the training room opened and Flare walked in, "Hello, Spyro."

"Hello Flare, how are you doing?"

"Good, how about you?" she replied.

"I'm fine."

Flare walked into the ring where Spyro was sitting.

"As you know," she started, "I will be training you for the time being to give Ignitus some breathing room. So today, you will show me what you can do. How does that sound?"

Spyro nodded his head in agreement.

"Good. Now, where to begin?" She asked herself, walking away from the purple dragon. Once she stepped out of the ring, four straw dummies appeared. "Only melee combat and your fire element are allowed."

The dummies rushed him as soon as she was finished speaking.

* * *

Cynder walked down the students' corridor from her room, deep in thought. She was on her way to speak with Malefor about her relationship with Spyro. Although she was nervous, she was almost certain Malefor would approve.

The door that lead to the main corridor opened as she approached. To her surprise, Malefor was also there. The purple dragon looked like he had just stopped walking, as if he was going to the students' rooms.

"Cynder," he said with a smile, "It's good to see you. I wanted to talk to you."

_That's convenient_, Cynder thought. "Okay."

Malefor sat on his haunches, waiting for her to sit with him. When she did, he looked straight ahead and spoke, "I was thinking about departing tomorrow. I need to find the purpose of the purple dragon, and staying here will not give me the answers I am looking for."

Cynder grew nervous, "Malefor."

"Yes?"

"I… I want to stay here at the temple."

Malefor looked at the black dragoness with knowing look, "I figured you would."

She was confused, "What?"

Malefor chucked, "The reason is not the temple, it's Spyro, isn't it?" It was a statement rather than a question.

Heat rose in her cheeks, but she nodded. "Yes, but how did you know?"

"Your time with him at the Ball was an obvious give away."

Cynder's blush reddened.

"I knew that you two made a connection after he showed you around the temple but I also knew that one day we would separate, and now is that time. You have the Guardians who can help you with your training, friends, and a special dragon."

Cynder nodded, "When will you leave?" she asked.

"Tomorrow morning. After the sun is up."

Cynder was saddened. She knew Malefor for the past two years, and he took her under his wing when her parents disappeared. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Did… did you know my mother and father?"

Sadly, Malefor shook his head, "I am sorry. No, I did not."

Cynder glanced at the floor, crestfallen.

"Don't be sad Cynder. There is a possibility that they are out there looking for you. It is a slim chance, but a chance nonetheless."

Cynder looked back at the purple dragon, walked to him, and gave him a hug. "Thank you. For everything."

Malefor patted her back, "You are welcome." Cynder let him go and he spoke again, "I still want you to train with your powers. I spoke to Volteer off and on, and he believes that he can teach you." She gave a nod, "Good, now go have a good rest of the day, and have a good life, Cynder."

She smiled back and walked towards her room. She was sad to separate with Malefor, but was happy that she would stay with Spyro.

* * *

A dummy was sent flying out of the ring and hit the wall. Once it made contact it collapsed into pieces of straw. The purple dragon turned around panting and readied himself for another wave of dummies. "That's enough, Spyro." He looked over at Flare making sure he heard her right. She gave a nod and walked onto the ring and over to the purple dragon.

"I must say, Ignitus taught you well. You have mastered the basics of fire and melee combat, I would say that you are an expert. So, I will train you in the advanced arts of fire, and you will eventually train in the higher levels of the fire element." Spyro nodded, not saying a word. Flare could easily see the seriousness in his eyes, she saw that he wanted to better himself. The fire dragoness smiled, "You remind me of Volteer."

Spyro relaxed a bit after catching his breath, "What makes you say that?"

"He always wanted to be the best he could be. Even if it wasn't by the same means as everyone else." Flare smiled to herself at the memory of the Electric Guardian flowing in her mind.

Spyro asked, "What do you mean that he used a different way to better himself? What does it matter how you get stronger?"

She sighed, "Well, Volteer loved books. The information he could get out of them fascinated him. His father wanted a strong drake, but he got, for lack of better term, a book worm. Volteer was teased for this, and him being scrawny didn't help either."

Spyro raised a brow, "Volteer, scrawny?" He tried to imagine a smaller, less muscular Volteer.

The fire dragoness nodded, "When I saw him last night I was surprised that the proud Guardian of electricity was the same dragon I was partnered with those years ago."

"What do you mean by partnered?" the purple dragon asked curiously.

"You ask a lot of questions," she said with a smile. "Yes, we were partnered up for sparring matches. Volteer and I were paired together. Prior to this, Volteer studied several different electric arts, and even touched up on the other elements. He became a master tactician, and very skillful in the electric element. We never lost, but did come close."

"What do you mean?"

"One sparring match we were up against a team consisting of an ice dragon and fire dragon. It was hard, but Volteer and I had great trust with each other. These dragons were hell bent on beating us, and even used… drastic measures. I was hit to the ground and the ice dragon shot ice shards at me. Judging by the size and speed they were coming at me, they were not just meant to hurt, they were meant to give a very serious injury. There was no way I could dodge them."

Spyro waited for her to say that the shards struck her.

"But, Volteer got in the way." Flare started to shake slightly, "The shards were deep in his body. We thought that they hit a vital organ or two. He was rushed to the infirmary, and I was with him the whole time. I had to know if he was okay."

"What happened after that?" he asked.

"Our parents came to see what happened, the doctor explained it, but I refused to leave his side. My parents were thankful, his mother was relieved that he would make a good recovery, his father… well, that is something that you should ask him. He never got along with his father, but his mother seemed like she loved him the day she laid his egg."

There was a moment of silence. "Well," Spyro said, "Are we done for the day?"

Flare nodded.

"Okay, so I'll see you later. It was nice meeting you and training with you." Spyro walked out of the training room leaving the fire dragoness by herself.

"Well I might as well be productive," she said to herself and walked out to find one of the Guardians to see if there were tasks that needed to be done.

* * *

Spyro walked to Cynder's room and knocked.

"Who is it?" came her voice.

"It's Spyro," in a few seconds the black dragoness opened the door.

"Hey Spyro," She stepped aside to let the purple dragon in. "How was training with Flare?"

"It was fine. I just fought against waves of dummies only using melee and fire based attacks. She said I almost have expert skills in fire, so she will teach me in advanced area of my fire element. How was the talk with Malefor? Is he okay, with us?"

Cynder nodded, "Yes, but tomorrow morning he's leaving."

"Oh," Spyro replied with a hint of sadness, "So, you are leaving with him?"

Cynder leaned toward him and kissed him, "Of course not," she answered after pulling out of the kiss, "When I said 'I love you,' I meant it. I am staying here at the temple and Malefor knows it."

Spyro regretted his thought of Cynder leaving him, "I'm sorry Cynder. I wasn't thinking."

She smiled and nuzzled the purple dragon, "I forgive you, Spyro. Now I have to meet Glacia for Cyril's training. He wants me to help her in melee combat. Do you want to watch?"

"Actually," he replied, "I need to talk to Volteer. Something Flare said got my attention and I want to talk to Volteer about it."

"Like what?" the black dragon asked curiously.

"I'll tell you once we meet up again." He gave her a kiss on her cheek and said, "I'll see you later"

"Okay, and by the way, Spyro. Clean up, you smell." The new couple laughed and went their separate ways for the time being.

Spyro sniffed his shoulder, "She's right," he said to himself, "Time for a quick bath, then I'll talk to Volteer."

* * *

"Shadow Fire, very interesting," Volteer said to himself as he read through a book on Shadow dragons.

Malefor and himself had talked on an off about training Cynder and teaching her how to use her elements. With his prior knowledge, and what he is getting out of the books, Volteer believed he was up for the task. After all, he knew a good majority of both the Primary elements and the Secondary elements. He spent a good while in the temple's library to do some research. Volteer wrote down notes on a blank paper to the side. He had four sets of pages, each for the four elements Cynder possessed. Volteer hummed to himself, "Let's see what the other books have to offer."

He left his work in search of more information. After a few minutes he returned with four books, and set them down. "Let's see, Fear or Wind? Decisions, decisions."

"Volteer?" came a voice.

"Yes? Who is it?"

"It's Spyro," the purple dragon walked over to the Electric Guardian. He noticed the two stacks of books and the pages of paper. "What are you doing?" asked Spyro, taking a seat next to Volteer, and scanning over the mess of books and paper.

"I am note taking to give me references when I train with Cynder. Malefor is leaving tomorrow and asked me to train her. I'm researching her elements so I know what to teach."

"Are you going to train both Volt and Cynder? That sounds time consuming."

"Yes, but Ignitus trained with you and Blaze for quite some time, so I think I can manage."

"Have you seen Flare lately?" Spyro asked trying to get the conversation he wanted started.

Volteer nodded, "Yes, she was here a while ago. She asked if there were anything that needed to be done. So I told her make sure the plants in the garden had plenty of water, and to check on our supply of gems."

Spyro was slightly confused, "Those are things that the others and I would usually do."

"What are you saying?"

"Well, those are pretty easy things to do."

"So?" Volteer asked, raising a brow.

"So, you're going easy on her."

"Are you saying that I like her?"

There was silence. Out of all the responses the Electric Guardian could have given, Spyro would have never expected that one. Even Volteer himself didn't expect it.

"You like her?"

"Forget I said anything," Volteer said looking away from the purple dragon.

"It makes sense though. You two were partners for a while, and had great trust with each other. You even saved her life."

Volteer looked back at Spyro, "How do you know about that?" he questioned.

"Flare told me," Spyro replied, "I'm sure she likes you."

Volteer shook his head, "I couldn't return it." He let out a depressed sigh.

Spyro remembered what Flare said, "Is it about your past?"

Volteer guessed that it was Flare that mentioned it. "Yes. I was never this…" he gestured to himself, "Well-built. I was smaller, scrawny if you will. My father wanted a strong drake for a son, and when he didn't get what he wanted, he made my life hard. The other dragons teased me for my small size. Over the years it was all the same. There would be a few times I was beaten up, and my father didn't help me."

Spyro was shocked, _What kind of parent lets their son get beaten up?_

"My mother, however, was nothing like that. My father had the attitude, 'The weak die and the strong survive.' However, my mother was the mother I needed, showed nothing but love even when I was just a little hatchling." Volteer closed his eyes and smiled as the flow of happy memories appeared in his mind. He then continued, "Over the years, I began to study the electric arts, and studied the other elements to give me any advantage I could. I developed great strategic skills because of it. Despite the hardships, I met someone that truly cared."

"Flare," Spyro answered for him.

Volteer nodded with a smile, "We became fast friends, and soon, I began to have feelings for her."

"So, in a way, she was your first crush?"

"Yes, and soon sparring teams were assembled and I was teamed up with Flare, and we became a perfect duo. And over time, I fell in love with her."

"If you were in love with her… why didn't you tell her?" Spyro asked.

"Everyone looked down on me, Spyro. I may have gotten stronger and became a better fighter, but they still saw me as a weak drake. The only dragons that showed me kindness were Flare, her parents, and my mother. Because of the others, I too saw myself as weak, and because of that, I never told Flare about my feelings, but I tried to show them."

"So you saved her life," he said, remembering that part of Flare's story.

The Electric Guardian nodded, "And you know the story, I assume. Not long after I recovered, the former Electric Guardian was looking for candidates for a competition to select the next apprentice. There are two ways to pick apprentices. One is to choose one yourself, this is how the four of us chose our apprentices. The other is to hold a tournament. To everyone's surprise, I won the nomination tournament and went to Warfang. Eventually I won that competition and became the Guardian's apprentice."

"And you never went home?"

Volteer shook his head, "There was no point. I didn't want to face my father, nor the other dragons that looked down on me."

The purple dragon tilted his head, "Were you afraid that everyone would not take you seriously as a Guardian?"

"No. I was afraid of, with my training, what I would do if I was pushed too far."

Spyro finally understood Volteer. Volteer had a hard life; his own father and peers looked down on him. His self-confidence was low, so low that he never had to courage to tell the dragoness of his dreams how he felt, and even now he struggled.

Spyro turned to walk away, but not before saying, "Volteer, life is hard, but it is up to _you_ to make it work in your favor. Flare likes you, and you like her. You have to make a move or she may be gone before you know it."

Volteer still wasn't sure, "That was a years ago. I'm sure she has interest in other dragons."

"Do you see her with other dragons?" Spyro questioned, the Electric Guardian shook his head in response. Before he could counter, Spyro continued, "Then why would she dance with you at the Ball and not some other dragon? She has to see something in you."

Volteer took some thought in the purple dragon's words, "Maybe you're right." Spyro smiled and started to walk about of the library until Volteer stopped him, "I'm curious, Spyro. Why are you so interested in my personal life?"

Spyro turned around and replied, "It was the day you and the other Guardians told us about Malefor's visit. During breakfast, I saw everyone that I knew happy with the one they love. It made me feel alone." A smile crept on his face, "Then I met Cynder. But Incendia talked to me and she mentioned that you had your own love issues like I did. I thought that I could help you."

_Typical Incendia, _Volter thought, and turned his attention to the purple dragon, "Thank you, Spyro. It feels good to get all of that off my chest."

"Any time," Spyro replied leaving the Guardian to himself.


	11. Departure and a Hatchday

Chapter 11: Departure and a Hatchday

"So, how was training with Glacia and Cyril?" Spyro asked the black dragoness who was leaning her head on his shoulder. The two decided to watch the sunset together and were on the roof of the temple conversing while the sun slowly set on the horizon.

"It was fine. Cyril had us spar against each other. She was good, but I was better."

Spyro smiled, "Do I detect smugness?"

Cynder smiled herself, "I only state facts." The couple shared a laugh. "So how about you? How was your talk with Volteer, and what did you need to ask him?"

"Just some things that Flare said that got me curious, so I asked him," Spyro replied. He didn't want to tell Cynder about the personal things Volteer told him. "He told me how he and Flare were sparring partners back before he became a Guardian, and some other stuff."

"So did he tell you a boring life story?" she asked jokingly.

"Not entirely. Most of it was interesting."

Cynder sighed and looked out in the distance, her head still on the purple dragon's shoulder, "Spyro?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think my parents are somewhere out there looking for me?"

Spyro looked at the black dragoness, trying to think of the best response. "From what you have said about them, I have no doubt that if they are out there, that they are looking for you."

Cynder looked Spyro in the eyes to find a lie. She could not find one. _He really means it,_ she thought, feeling warmth in her chest. She leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Thank you Spyro," she said, nuzzling him. The purple dragon smiled and returned the gesture, the sun had just set. "Looks like it's time for bed," she stated, earning a nod from Spyro.

The couple stood up and made their way to the exit of the roof, making their way to their rooms. In a matter of minutes they reached their destination, and as much as they wanted to sleep in the same room again, they lucked out once. After all; Sparx, Silver, and Spyro's foster parents were staying in his room for the time being.

"I guess this is good night," Cynder said. She leaned over to Spyro and gave a peck on his lips with her own. When they pulled away she said, "I love you."

"I love you too, Cynder." They went into their rooms, somewhat missing the other's company.

* * *

"Thank you for you hospitality," Malefor thanked the Guardians.

"No need to thank us," replied Ignitus, "It was our pleasure."

"Don't worry about Cynder," Incendia spoke up, "We will take good care of her."

Malefor nodded and looked at the black dragoness, "Remember to train hard and listen to Volteer. He may not know how to use the elements you possess, but he has much knowledge of them."

"I will," she replied.

Malefor looked at the Electric Guardian, who gave a nod. The purple dragon looked to his younger counter part. "I will return with the purpose of our existence, Spyro. The ancestors brought the birth of our kind for a reason, and I will find it." He walked to the main entrance of the temple to leave. "Good-bye everyone," he opened his wings and took to the sky. Soon he was out of sight.

As Malefor's figure grew smaller in the distance, Volt let out a sigh, "I almost can't believe that today just started and now it's glum."

Ignitus smiled, "That may be, but today is also a day of celebration." This caused the group of dragons, except Cynder, to exchange looks of happiness.

Before Cynder could asked why everyone was smiling, Ignitus and Incendia looked at their son, "Happy hatchday Blaze."

Blaze smiled, "Thanks mom, thanks dad."

Incendia glanced at Spyro, "So what are you all planning? Is Sparx…?"

The purple dragon shook his head, "No, no surprise party this time." He fixed his gaze on Blaze, "What do you want to do Blaze?"

The fire apprentice thought for a moment. What did he want to do? He was planning to relax for the day. He turned to the Guardians, Incendia, and Flare, "Is it okay if they take the day off?" The six older dragons exchanged looks, only to unanimously smile and nod. "Great!" the fire dragon said with delight. He turned to the others, "How about later we do lunch at The Drake's Bistro? We can even bring the girls along. Spyro, you can ask Sparx if he wants to come along too."

"Sure thing, Blaze. Meet up about noon?"

The fire dragon nodded in response.

"Okay," he and Cynder walked toward the student corridor.

As the pair entered the apprentice's hall Spyro glanced at Cynder, "I'm going to ask Sparx and Silver if they want to come along to celebrate Blaze's hatchday."

"Sure," she said with a nod.

Spyro and Cynder arrived to his room and walked in. In addition to Sparx and Silver, Flash and Nina were there too. "Hey mom, dad."

"Spyro!" Nina exclaimed and flew to her adopted son, "How are you?"

"I'm fine. I just need to ask Sparx and Silver something." This got the attention of the two mentioned dragonflies.

"What is it, bro?"

"It's Blaze's hatchday and we wanted to know if you wanted to come with us for lunch. We're going to The Drake's Bistro"

"Sure," answered the golden dragonfly, turning to his female counterpart, "Silver?"

"Of course we will," the silver dragonfly said, "We have to get him a gift. Let's go, Sparx." Silver flew out of Spyro's room.

"I already got him something a few days ago," replied Spyro.

"Always the prepared one I see," Sparx commented and flew off with Silver.

"I guess I should get him something too," Cynder said, turning to leave.

"Hang on Cynder," Spyro said, making the black dragoness stop in her tracks.

The purple dragon walked over to his book case, grabbed some books, and placed them on the floor. After a few books were removed, a box was revealed and Spyro took hold of it and brought it to Cynder.

"You don't have to get Blaze a present," Spyro started, "I got something for you to give him. I know that you didn't know about his hatchday, so I go you something to give him so you didn't have to stress out about it." He pointed his paw at the box, "In this box is a brand new book on the fire element. It has some information and techniques that I think that Blaze will find interesting." He gave Cynder the box, which she accepted.

Cynder smiled at Spyro's personality of looking after others before himself, "Thank you, Spyro."

Nina sighed and said to Flash, "We raised him right."

"I think we did," he replied with a proud smile.

Spyro blushed at the complements, and Cynder rubbed his cheek with her own with a smile.

* * *

A few hours later Spyro, Cynder, Blaze and Glacia left the temple for Blaze's hatchday lunch. Spyro, Cynder and Glacia all carried their gifts for the fire dragon. While Spyro and Cynder carried boxes, Glacia had a cloth, which wrapped around a rectangular object she carried.

"Thanks for doing this for me guys," Blaze thanked.

"It's no problem at all," replied Spyro, "This is what friends do."

"Hey Spyro, when is your hatchday?" Glacia asked, "Isn't it in a few weeks?"

Spyro nodded, "Yep, in about three weeks."

Cynder made a mental note so she could do something special when the day comes.

"So where did the others go?" the black dragoness asked.

"Volt and Electra should be getting a table, and Terrain and Gaia will show up sometime after we do. Gaia's father asked Terrain to help him with something. I'm not sure what it is though."

"Alright," Cynder replied.

Glacia turned to Spyro, "Spyro, are Sparx and Silver coming too?"

"Yeah, they left to get Blaze a gift, but I haven't seen them since. I assume they are going to meet us."

In no time at all, the four dragons arrived at the restaurant. They walked inside into the brightly lit room.

"Hello," a green dragon said behind a podium, "Welcome to The Drake's Bistro. How can I help you?"

"We are here to meet friends of ours," said Blaze, "They are a pair of electric dragons."

"Oh yes. They are on the left side of the restaurant at a table with two dragonflies. You can't miss them."

"Okay, thank you." The dragons walked to the direction the dragon said, and found Volt and Electra. "Hey guys."

"Hey! It's the hatchday dragon," greeted Volt. Sparx and Silver levitated next to Electra.

"Thanks for being here and getting a spot you guys. I really appreciate it," Blaze thanked as they sat down.

The table was square and was big enough for two dragons on each side. Volt and Electra sat together, Spyro and Cynder sat together, and Blaze and Glacia sat together, while Sparx and Silver hovered next to Spyro.

"It's no problem Blaze," Electra spoke, "We are friends and this is what friends do for each other."

"Even if they are running a bit late," came Terrain's voice. Terrain and Gaia walked over to the group and sat down in the remaining spot at the table. Terrain was carrying a box, and judging by the strain he was giving, it must have been heavy.

"What did Gaia's dad need you for?" asked Glacia curiously.

"He wanted to try his paw at carving stone using his element," Gaia answered, "He wanted to do it himself, but mom convinced him to get help so he got Terrain to help."

"It sounds like that your parents really like Terrain," Electra said to the earth dragoness. "My mother instantly liked Volt when we first got together, my father was a little hesitant at first, but it all worked out well."

"Easy for you to say," Blaze retorted, "It took forever for Glacia's father to not glare at me."

Glacia giggled, "He was just being protective of me, Blaze. He wanted to make sure you were my match."

"It would have been nice if he didn't give me the cold shoulder," He said, unintentionally making a pun, causing the others to laugh.

A dragon walked over to their table to take their order. The dragon asked for their respective usual meat, while Sparx and Silver asked for fruit. After he got their order he said he would be back with their meals and walked away.

"So," Sparx said looking at Blaze, "Do you want to do gifts now or after lunch?"

"Now," the fire dragon replied with no hesitation. His child-like response earned another laugh from the others.

"Okay," Gaia said, calming down.

She glanced at her lover, who nodded and, with some trouble, placed the box on the table. He made sure to put it down gently.

Gaia pushed a green box over to Blaze. She had trouble pushing it, giving an official indication that it was heavy. "This is from both me and Terrain. Careful, it's a little heavy."

Blaze pulled the box across the table, the weight surprised him. "You're right," he slightly grunted, pulling it in front of him, and stood on his hind legs. "What could it possibly be?" he questioned out loud. The fire dragon opened the box, revealing a cloth which Blaze assumed covered the gift.

Blaze reached into the box and pulled the object and its cloth cover out. Glacia moved the box for him so he could put it down. When he did he unfolded the cloth to see what it hid. It was a stone tablet with his name carved on it which was surrounded by carved flames. He brushed his paw on the tablet and traced his name with a claw.

The only word that escaped his lips was, "Wow."

"Sorry if it's a little sloppy," Terrain said, "Gaia got the idea when her dad was carving, so we decided to give it a try."

"It's amazing," the red dragon replied. He looked up from the tablet to look at the earth couple, "Thank you."

Gaia nodded, "Try not to drop it. My mom used some magic to strengthen the stone after we finished, but still…"

"Don't worry. I'll be careful," Blaze wrapped the cloth around the name-carved tablet and gently put it back in the box. "What's next?"

"Here you go," Volt said, as he gave a small square box to the fire dragon.

Blaze opened the box to see an old fire stone. It was oval in shape and red-orange in color.

"It's an ember stone," Electra stated, "It's pretty rare and since it's smooth, you can do whatever you want with it. Like placing it into a collar or something."

Blaze smiled and looked at the electric couple, "Thank you Volt and Electra."

Sparx carried a bag made of cloth over to the hatchday dragon, and placed it in front of him. Blaze took the bag, opened it, and dug his paw into the bag to find out its contents. When he got a hold of the object, he pulled it out and saw that is was a medallion. It was gold plated, with one side carved with the symbol of the fire element.

Sparx scratched the back of his head, "Sorry if it isn't much. We had no idea on what do get you."

The dragonfly's doubts vanished when the dragon gave a smile, "It's nice, I like it."

Spyro placed a box on the table, and pushed it to his friend, "Here you go. Happy Hatchday, Blaze."

Blaze opened the box and pulled out a gold plated helm with red trim. The trim closely resembled the color of his own scales.

"Wow, thanks Spyro," Blaze said, "This is nice."

This earned a smile from the purple dragon.

Cynder gave Blaze the box that Spyro had given her earlier. "Happy Hatchday, Blaze," she said with a smile.

Blaze opened the box to find the fire element book. Blaze grinned to himself and said, "With this I can kick your butt, Spyro." The group laughed at the fire dragon's challenge.

Finally, Glacia. She gave him the blanket, which hid the actual gift.

"What is it?" Blaze asked.

"Find out," she said, with a smile. Blaze pulled the blanket off and his eyes widened. It was a painting of them together. It was a painting they did for the first time they went to the Warfang Ball together. In the painting, Glacia and Blaze were looking straight with the ice dragoness leaning on his shoulder, and him with his head against hers.

He looked at the ice dragoness, "You kept it? I thought we did this just for fun. How did I not notice that you kept it? "

Glacia grinned, "I wanted to give it to you for the right moment. You can also think of it as a little late two year Warfang Ball anniversary."

Blaze put the blanket over the painting and put it aside with the other gifts. He leaned over and gave Glacia a passionate kiss, not caring if the others were watching. They pulled away and nuzzled each other.

"Here is your meal," said the same dragon from before, who was accompanied by three other dragons, causing the couple to break apart.

The group of eight dragons and two dragonflies ate and talked, enjoying a great rest of the day with the red hatchday dragon.

* * *

Volteer kept to himself most of the day. His mind was in a conflict with his heart. On one paw, he knew he had feelings for a certain fire dragoness and wanted nothing more than to tell her. On the other, he was fearful of the possibility of rejection. They were sparring partners, yes, but did Flare even want to be with Volteer? Then again, now he was a Guardian, and much stronger. He didn't know what to do and being distant from her didn't help. A knock came from his door.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"It's Spyro," came the purple dragon's voice, "Can I come in?"

"Certainly."

Spyro opened the door and walked in.

"How was your day, Spyro? Did Blaze enjoy his hatchday?"

"Fine, and yes he did."

"Good," was Volteer's response, but Spyro could tell something was on the Guardian's mind.

"What's wrong?"

Volteer sighed. The purple dragon seemed to know how to see into people's hearts. "It's about Flare." Spyro waited for the Electric Guardian to continue. "I just don't know what to do."

"Volteer. Sometimes it's better to not think with your head, but with your heart. I know it sounds cheesy, but it's the truth."

Volteer sighed again, "I have been distant from her. What if she is not interested, and is looking for someone else?"

Spyro shook his head, "You just have to calm down. Tomorrow talk to her and let it out, or if not, ask her to lunch or something. It will at least show her that you're interested."

Volteer thought for a moment and an idea came to his head. "Thank you, Spyro. Why are you helping me? I am just curious."

Spyro walked to the door and said, "Because I know what it's like to feel like you will never find someone to love." With that he walked out leaving the Guardian.

A plan formed in his head. He would hang out with Flare and make up for lost time. Then he would ask her to dinner.


	12. Flaring Affections

Chapter 12: Flaring Affections

Volteer stood in front of Flare's room late into the next morning. He brought up a paw, knocked on her door, and waited for the fire dragoness to answer.

The door opened, "Volteer?" Flare asked, not expecting him, "What are you doing here?"

The Electric Guardian shifted slightly, "Well, we never finished catching up the other day, and we didn't talk yesterday. So, I was wondering if you would like to finish now. We could walk or fly and such."

She gave a sweet smile, "Yes, I'd love to. I don't train Spyro until this afternoon."

"Volt and I don't have a session today. I decided to give him a break."

Flare walked out of her room and closed the door.

"Well then, let's get going."

The pair made their way out of the temple in silence.

"So, where do you want to go?" Flare asked.

"How about The Fountain of Guardians, the fountain in the middle of the city?" Volteer asked, earning a nod from the dragoness. They flew into the sky and Volteer started the conversation, "So, home is still fine?"

"Yes, nothing has really changed, but after you went to compete for the Guardian apprentice position, sparring wasn't the same."

"What do you mean?" he asked with a raised brow.

"The teams were mixed up every several matches. It was meant for us to be able to adapt to any elemental match up we may encounter. However, no one was the partner you were. Not one of them had that connection you and I had. I missed that."

Volteer looked into her eyes and saw just how sincere she was. He smiled, "Despite getting beaten up for the first few matches, I enjoyed every minute of it."

Flare smiled, "And why is that?"

"Because I was able to spend time with you."

Flare was taken aback, heat rose to her cheeks. She thanked the ancestors that she had red scales or her blush would have surly shown. Volteer realized his choice of words and had to fight his own blush trying to make its way to his cheeks.

Flare got her composure back and said, "I enjoyed those moments too." Volteer smiled as they continued they slow flight. "Your mother misses you."

The Electric Guardian glanced toward the dragoness, "How is she?"

"She's fine. She always wanted to visit, but never did. Your father…" Flare struggled to find the right words, "He doesn't share the same feelings."

"I am the Guardian of Electricity. Is there anything I can do to please him? Or am I still the 'sad excuse of a dragon' to him."

Flare was hit by a wave of regret. Her parents showed nothing but love to her. Volteer struggled with only the support of his mother. "I'm sorry," she apologized.

"It's fine, I wish I would have at least visited her." They landed not far from the fountain with the four Guardian statues.

Flare asked, "Why are you talking about this? The other day you didn't want to talk about any of this. Now, you seem to have no problem. What changed?"

Volteer smiled, "Spyro talked to me."

"He comforted you?"

"He seems to have been spending some time with Incendia."

It was relatively empty with a few young dragons playing with each other and dragons passing by every so often. What quickly caught his eye was a young electric dragon looking frustrated. The dragon opened his maw and a small spark formed, but nothing came out.

He walked over to the dragon, "What is wrong, young dragon?"

The dragon jumped and looked to see the electric guardian. "Guardian Volteer… I… I…"

Volteer chuckled at the dragon's surprise, "Don't worry. Now, what is wrong?"

"I'm trying to use my element, but it's… just not working. I thought I could try by myself, but nothing."

Volteer nodded, "Judging by that spark, you only need a last push." He thought for a moment and got an idea. "Close your eyes." The young dragon was confused at first, but it as he was told. "Now look deep inside yourself. There is a pool of energy just waiting to come out. Allow its energy to channel through your body. Anticipate its movement. Once you do, unleash it."

The dragon drew his head back and pushed forward letting out a stream of electricity. The bolt struck the ground several yards away, leaving a darkened mark.

The dragon had a large smile on his face, "I DID IT!" He looked up the Volteer and hugged him. Volteer was taken aback, but patted the young dragon on the back. "Thank you, Guardian Volteer!" The dragon ran off laughing to show his family his awakened powers. Volteer turned around and saw Flare with a smile, "You are great with children aren't you?"

Volteer gestured to the fountain indicating that he wanted them to sit and talk there. She waked over and sat on her haunches next to the great fountain. Volteer sat next to her and said, "As a Guardian it is my duty to help dragons use their gifts. Now, tell me," he said looking at her, "How did you meet Ignitus?"

"Ignitus was looking for a dragon who was talented in the fire element to go with him to Warfang and teach younger dragons. He watched some of my sparring matches, both solo and partnered, and invited me to compete in a tournament with fire dragons. Of course, I accepted, as it was the perfect chance to follow my dream to become a teacher. After I won the competition, Ignitus told me to come to Warfang for the Warfang Ball. After I got prepared and said good-bye to my parents, I left for Warfang."

"That's some story," Volteer commented.

Flare nodded, "Yes, also your mother had one favor for me." This caught the Guardian's attention. "She made me promise that, when I talked to you, to tell you she loves you, and she could never be more proud of you."

Volteer felt warmth in his chest. His eyes started to water, however, he wiped his eyes so tears never fell. Flare smiled, she always liked the soft side of him.

He smiled at the fire dragoness and said, "Thank you, Flare. You have no idea how much that means to me."

The fire dragoness spoke, "You are very welcome. It's good to know that you have the same personality, even after all these years."

"So do you," the Electric Guardian replied with a smile.

"Now it's your turn. What have you been up to, and tell me a bit about the other Guardians."

* * *

"So wait, you have the day off?" Spyro asked Volt.

The electric apprentice nodded, "I was surprised too, but I'm not complaining. I'm probably going to visit Electra. How about you? You have training later, right?"

"Yep, Cynder and I are going to relax in the temple's garden for a while."

"You know, you two have gotten really close in such a short amount of time."

Spyro grew confused and nervous, "Is that a bad thing?"

"No, no," Volt shook his head. "It's a good thing. But, have you two been on a date yet?"

The purple dragon shook his head, "No, we haven't."

"Maybe you should take her out sometime."

"Like where?" Spyro asked.

"Take her to dinner. That's what Electra and I do," the electric dragon answered. Spyro took the advice into consideration. "Anyway, see you later," Volt said and walked away.

Spyro nodded and made his way to the temple garden. The garden was behind the temple, which had many different types of plants, flowers, and even trees spotted around.

Spyro laid under a tree and waited for Cynder. _If Volt has the day off, that means Volteer is doing something. I haven't seen Flare yet either, where could she… _The purple dragon put the pieces together. Volteer was going to tell her his feelings. Spyro smiled to himself, and laid under the shade provided by the tree for a few minutes until he heard a voice.

"Hey Spyro," he didn't need to look to see who it was.

"Hey Cynder." Cynder laid down next to Spyro. Her chest faced his, and their chests were close to each other, but not touching.

"Have you seen Flare and Volteer?"

Spyro didn't want to tell Cynder about the situation, but at the same time he didn't want to lie to the dragoness he loved. "Do you promise not to tell anyone?" Cynder raised brow, but nodded. "Remember when I said I went to talk to Volteer about some things," the black dragoness nodded again, "Well I found out, or rather he accidentally told me, that he had feelings for Flare. And they are both not here so you can put the pieces together."

"That's not that surprising," she stated casually.

"What?"

"Call it a girl's hunch, and the fact Volteer stole glances at her every-so-often. It was hard to notice, but it was still noticeable." She leaned in and nuzzled his head with hers. "So, what is the story between those two?" she asked curiously.

Spyro returned the nuzzle, "Well, from what Volteer told me, they were sparring partners back home."

"Really?"

The purple dragon nodded, "Yeah, but he was much weaker than he is now. To get stronger he did some studying and training. He studied many electricity techniques, and even studied the other elements."

"That must be why I am supposed to train with him," the dragoness stated. The conversation died down, and the two dragons just laid against each other enjoying the other's company.

* * *

"So, I learned from there on out to never make Incendia angry, ever," Volteer finished.

Flare was laughing from a story he told her.

"So… so… what happened to Cyril?" she asked in between laughs.

"He had a dark backside for a week. He refused to go outside the temple until it was back to its original color. Incendia may not be a Guardian, but she knows how to use her element. I thank the ancestors that I didn't have to learn the hard way."

Flare continued to giggle, causing Volteer to smile. To her, he may have changed, but to him, she didn't. To him, she was perfect the way she was. Flare calmed down and they looked into each other's eyes.

Volteer gathered his courage, "Flare?"

"Yes, Volteer?"

"Would…" the Guardian bit his lower lip out of nervousness. Flare's head tilted slightly waiting for him to continue. "Would you like to go-"

"Hello, aren't you Flare?" a voice interrupted, "The winner of the Fire Ascension Tournament?" The two looked over and saw a well-built red dragon with golden underbelly and wing membranes. His eyes were blue, and he had two golden horns that curved slightly outward.

"Yes she is," Volteer replied, hiding his irritation. "What do you want?" he asked, getting to the point.

"I just wanted to meet up with her again," the dragon answered, looking at Flare. Flare gave a confused look, which he saw, "You really don't recognize me?" he added a chuckle, "I feel insulted."

Then it clicked, "Wait! You're the one I fought in the final round of the tournament to come to Warfang with Ignitus!"

Volteer looked at Flare confused. She knew this dragon?

"Your name is, Inferno."

He nodded with a smile, "Yes."

"So what brings you to Warfang?" Flare asked, completely forgetting about Volteer.

Inferno smiled, "What do you mean? Warfang is my home."

"Oh, then what brings you here to me?" Flare asked curiously.

"It's about the competition," the Fire dragon answered, "I admit that I lost, and that's why I'm here. I want to learn more, and why not from the one who bested me? Would you like to teach me a few things?"

Volteer and Flare were shocked. "Um," she thought for a moment, "Sure. You can join a session I have in a while. How does that sound?" Inferno nodded with a smile. "Good," she faced Volteer, "let's get back to the temple."

Volteer dumbly nodded in response.

She and Inferno took off, but Volteer didn't budge. He wasn't entirely sure what just happened. One moment, he was going to asked Flare on a date, then a dragon she fought in the final match comes in, and then she practically forgot about him. The Electric Guardian tried to calm himself. Maybe she was just happy to see an old competitor. But Volteer still wasn't sure what to think. Was she bored of him, and wanted to see other dragons? That thought tore at his heart. He slowly flapped his wings and flew to the temple.

What was he going to do?

* * *

It didn't take long for Flare and Inferno to touch down at the entrance of the temple. Volteer landed after them.

"Well Inferno," Flare said, "since you are here, I need to talk to my student. Would you like to come with me?"

Inferno gave the fire dragoness a nod.

Flare turned to Volteer, "It was really nice to talk again Volteer. I'll see you later."

"Yes, it was nice to talk," the Electric Guardian replied, hiding his sadness

The two fire dragons walked away to look for Spyro. Once they were gone, Volteer sighed.

"What's wrong?" asked a voice. Volteer jumped and saw Incendia.

"Nothing," he lied, "Everything is fine."

Incendia stared at him, seeing through his lie, "Then why are you so uptight about that other dragon with Flare?" Volteer refused to answer, which gave her the real answer, "You're jealous, aren't you?"

Volteer was about to deny the statement, but he let his emotions loose, "I can't believe I'm acting like this." Before Incendia could press forward, "Yes! Yes, Incendia. I am jealous." Volteer looked away from the dragoness in shame. He cursed himself for letting his emotions get the better of him.

Incendia stepped next to Volteer and put a paw on his shoulder, "It's nothing to be ashamed of, Volteer. It's natural that you would be jealous because Flare is going to spend a little more time with Inferno than you."

Volteer looked back at Incendia, she must have heard the conversation. "But, what if she wants to spend time with him because she is bored of me?"

The dragoness shook her head, "Volteer. It's obvious that you like her, and I am sure she likes you." There wasn't anything else she could say. She took her paw off of Volteer's shoulder and walked away. She prayed to the ancestors that everything would work itself out in the end, for Volteer's sake.


	13. Heartbreak

Chapter 13: Heartbreak

Spyro's eyes began to open and he let out a quiet yawn_. I must have been more tired than I thought, _he thought to himself.

The next thing he noticed was something laying against him. He looked and saw that it was someone, and that someone was Cynder. She was asleep, snuggled against his chest.

_Ancestors, she's cute when she sleeps. _

It was short lived however, as the black dragoness began to stir. Her emerald eyes opened and gazed into his amethyst ones. She nuzzled her head against his with a smile.

"Have I ever told you that you are the most beautiful dragoness in the realms?" Spyro asked.

"You only tell me every day," she replied, "And I enjoy every second of it."

Spyro nuzzled her, "I love you, Cyn."

Cynder pulled away to look at him, "What did you call me?" she asked curiously.

Spyro panicked, thinking he had offended her, "I'm sorry Cynder," he apologized, "It… it just slipped out."

"No," she cut him off, "Say it again."

The purple dragon was slightly confused, "W... What?"

"That name. Say it again."

Spyro looked in her eyes. They pleaded for him to say it, "Cyn."

"Say it again," she smiled nuzzling into his chest again.

Spyro caught on and nuzzled her back, "I love you, Cyn." He kissed the top of her head, "I love you so much Cyn."

Cynder decided to try her paw at this, "I love you too, Spy."

"I like it," the purple dragon said with a smile. He leaned in and gave the black dragoness a nuzzle on her snout with his own, "Especially coming from you."

The comment caused Cynder to smile back. Spyro and Cynder laid together in a brief moment of silence until the black dragoness broke it, "Spyro."

"Hm?" the purple dragon mumbled.

A single tear formed in her eye, "You are everything to me. I'm so glad I met you. If I hadn't, I don't…" she trailed off.

The tear slowed flowed down her cheek. Spyro leaned in and licked the tear away.

He looked into Cynder's eyes and said, "Cynder, you are everything I could ask for. You are smart, beautiful, fun, and caring. You couldn't be any more perfect than you already are. I love you."

Cynder leaned in and brought her lips to his. She pressed her tongue against his lips, asking for entrance. Her sudden move surprised him at first, but he happily granted, and their tongues danced with each other. Cynder pressed her body to his as the passion rose between the two dragons. So much so, that Spyro was pushed onto his back with Cynder on top of him. Their passionate kiss continued until after a few moments they had to pull away for air.

"That was… nice," She said, smiling down at the purple dragon.

"Yeah, it was," he responded, also smiling. A thought popped in his head, "Cynder?"

"Yes?" the dragoness replied in a curious tone.

"Would you like to go out to dinner with me?"

Cynder's eyes widened slightly, "On a date?"

Spyro's cheeks heated up as he nodded.

Cynder smiled and nuzzled his snout with her own, "I would love to."

"Does tomorrow sound good?"

Cynder continued to rub his snout as an answer.

Their moment came to an end when they heard voices coming their way. The two dragons pulled away from each other, with Cynder getting off of the purple dragon. Spyro could make out one as Flare, but the other he didn't recognize. Flare came into view with a fire dragon walking beside her.

"Hello Spyro," Flare said as she and the other dragon stopped in front of the young couple.

"Hey Flare," Spyro greeted but looked at the dragon next to her. _Who is this dragon? _he thought to himself, _I was sure that she would be with Volteer. _"Who is this?"

"This is Inferno," she addressed, "He was my opponent in the final round of the Fire Ascension Competition. He requested that he joined us for a training session, so he will be with us."

"Are we going to have our session now?"

Flare nodded, and she and Inferno turned to walk to the training room.

Spyro turned to Cynder, "I'll stop by your room when I'm done?"

She gave a nod and kissed his cheek. "I thought that she was with Volteer, or was going to be," Cynder said softly so the Flare or Inferno couldn't hear.

"I don't know, but I'll find out," he turned and jogged to catch up with the two fire dragons.

Spyro caught up to Flare and Inferno and the trio walked into the training room.

"Alright Spyro," Flare said as they entered the training room. "We are going to have an element session today." The three dragons stopped in front of the ring. "Now, I would like to introduce you to Inferno."

The mentioned fire dragon nodded to the purple dragon, "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Spyro replied.

Flare continued, "Now Spyro hop into the ring," Spyro did so. "Today you will be fighting a one-on-one with a training dummy. Once you deal a death blow, it will disappear and another will takes its place. Continue until I give the word to stop. You can only use you fire element, no furies. Melee combat is allowed. Begin."

As soon as she finished a dummy appeared out of straw and rushed the purple dragon. Spyro got into a fighting stance.

As it rushed in, Spyro gave it a head-butt to the stomach and followed up with a hit with his tail, sending the ape model flying. He then jumped on the dummy with a paw on its chest and clawed at its neck with the other. It vanished leaving bits of straw. Another took its place behind the dragon, but Spyro let out a stream of fire to incinerate the dummy. Yet another one appeared, and Spyro pressed on.

* * *

Cynder entered the library in hopes to find a certain Electric Guardian. She decided to pass time by asking Volteer to start her training.

"Volteer? Are you here?" She heard some mumbling and Volteer walked out from between bookshelves.

"I guess that she doesn't have feeli… Cynder," he said quickly changing his tone, "What can I help you with?"

"I was wondering if we could do some kind of training for my elements. Malefor said you would be the one to teach me."

The yellow dragon nodded, "Yes, although I cannot teach you, per say, I can help lead you to the right direction. Come."

He sat at a nearby table with several books and sheets of paper. Cynder sat down next to the Guardian. Cynder could tell that Volteer was troubled about something. The way he spoke, it seemed a bit… forced out.

"How about we start with the more conceptual content of the Secondary elements?" the Guardian asked.

"Sure," Cynder replied.

"What element would you like to discuss?" he asked collecting his notes.

"Shadow," she answered with no hesitation.

Volteer raised a brow, "You were quick to answer. Why do you want to study the shadow element first?"

He separated his notes based on the elements, and collected those for the shadow element. The others the put into a neat pile to the side.

"Both of my parents were shadow dragons," she answered, "I want to master their element first. To keep them close."

He gave a nod. He was really hoping that he could use this time to clear his mind away from Flare and Inferno.

"Alright," he grabbed two books, "we will go for half an hour, or at least until all the topics I can think of have been covered. Does that sound adequate for a start?"

Cynder answered with a nod.

"Let's start with the basics. Shadow is one of the four Secondary elements. It is best used in the dark, like how ice is best used in the cold. The night is your ally, like a sunny day is the ally of fire dragons."

Suddenly the thoughts of Flare and Inferno washed into his mind, but he shook them away to stay focus of the task at paw.

"Do shadow dragons' power increase at night?" the dragoness asked.

"For a few, yes. The more powerful shadow dragons can use the darkness of the night to give them an edge with the shadow element. This is _not_," he added emphasis on the last word, "the same as the power of darkness."

"What's the difference?"

Volteer sighed, "Darkness is raw power. Raw, destructive power. It has not been seen in hundreds of years. Its power is almost limitless, there are only two other powers that can combat it. One is light, which also hasn't been seen in hundreds of years. Light also works as a balance to counteract darkness. It too is almost limitless.

"What is the other?" Cynder asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

Volteer smiled at the dragoness's attentiveness, she reminded him of himself when he was younger.

"The other is only known as Convexity. It is… unusual. In theory, it is the combination of all the Primary elements. This is why purple dragons can use Convexity. But," he paused, "It is like I said, it is just a theory."

"I know Malefor can use convexity, but he said it is very difficult to use."

"It is more of a purple dragon's reserves. A final line if you will."

"Has Spyro ever used Convexity?"

Volteer shook his head, "No he hasn't, but as a purple dragon, he has the ability. We can only give it time until he unlocks that potential."

The black dragoness took a brief moment to take in the information.

"Would it possible to combine the Secondary elements to form Convexity?" she asked.

Volteer raised a brow and went through his mental library, trying to recall if he read about Convexity also being a combination of Secondary elements. He was stumped.

He broke himself from his thoughts and answered, "I actually don't know. If I was to make assumptions…" he trailed off, deep in thought. "I might say yes, but I have absolutely no proof to back that claim." He glanced at the black dragoness, "Unless you can wield Convexity."

"Sorry, but no, I can't," she said shaking her head.

"Shame," Volteer said with a small smile, "it would have been useful."

Cynder let a small giggle escape her mouth.

* * *

"That's enough, Spyro," Flare called as another dummy collapsed into strands of straw.

Spyro panted, catching his breath. He had been fighting for nearly thirty straight minutes. To him it seemed like hours. Flare and Inferno made their way onto the ring with the purple dragon.

"You have excellent form and strength, and it seems you have stamina as well," Flare stated.

"You also have amazing power," Inferno added.

Flare nodded at the other fire dragon's response. "Now, I want to see you do a fury."

Spyro got ready.

"Flare?" asked Inferno, "Why not give him a break? He is exhausted. There is no way he could complete the fury without hurting himself."

Flare looked back at Spyro and fully examined the purple dragon. He was panting and his legs were wobbling slightly, he was obviously trying to hide it. Regardless, he was ready to do what she had asked.

"I suppose you're right."

"Besides," continued Inferno, "I really only wanted to be here to have a little rematch."

This caught Spyro's attention.

"Deal," Flare answered with a slight smirk. She looked back at the purple dragon, "You are dismissed."

Spyro thanked her and Inferno, walked off of the ring, and left the training room.

The dragoness turned her attention the fire dragon, "So, same rules as the tournament?" she asked as they begin to slowly circle each other.

Inferno nodded, "Yes, but only one change; no ring outs. That is, if you think you can win without that one."

Flare smirked, "Done." The two fire dragons continued circling each other until one of them made a move.

Flare made the first move and rushed toward Inferno. She went for a claw, but Inferno was quick to dodge. He tried his own claw, but she just as easily dodged. They continued a fierce melee battle, when one went for a hit, the other would block or dodge, and attempt to counter.

Flare decided to mix things up, and let out a breath of fire at her opponent. Inferno used his wings to shield himself. Being a fire dragon, he could withstand the heat of the flames, but the pain was merely reduced. Flare ceased her flame, changing her strategy. As soon as her fire stream died, she took to the air, and fired a fire ball at Inferno, but he jumped to join her in the air to avoid the attack.

They continued in the air, having an aerial brawl. Both dragons fought with their elements and their claw to claw combat abilities. Inferno was stronger than Flare, however, Flare was faster and more agile. The dragoness switched tactics, spending more time dodging and blocking, trying to tire out her opponent. It seemed to be working, and the dragon didn't pick up on it.

Flare decided to take her chance and try to end it. Flare found an opening and slammed into Inferno, sending the pair to the ground. Inferno hit the ground first, sending a wave of pain to his back, with Flare on top of him. Inferno struggled to get back up and push the dragoness off of him, but Flare pressed her left paw on his chest, and had her claws ready in the other. She generated her element into her claws, making them glow a red tint.

Inferno tried, in vain, to find a way out or to get the dragoness off of him, but it was futile. He stopped his struggle and looked up at his opponent. They both knew who the victor was.

* * *

_So he's here for a rematch, _he thought as he walked toward the washrooms. He walked into the main corridor and he saw Volteer. "Hey Volteer, how are you?"

Volteer's eyes met with Spyro's, "Good, thank you for asking. Cynder and I have started the conceptual part of her elemental training."

"Oh? What did you talk about?" the purple dragon asked with curiosity.

"Mostly about the shadow element. She should be in her room if you want to know more."

"Okay, thank you," Spyro said, making his way toward the students' corridor.

Once the purple dragon came close to the door, it opened.

Volteer mentally thanked the ancestors for the short conversation, otherwise the purple dragon would have detected his negative mood. However, there was one last thing the Electric Guardian wanted to know.

"Are they still in there?" he asked, gesturing his snout toward the direction of the training room.

"Who?" Spyro asked glancing back Volteer.

"Flare and Inferno."

Spyro nodded, earning a thank you from the Guardian. Spyro left the Guardian to himself so he could rest and talk with Cynder.

When the door closed behind Spyro, the Electric Guardian brought a paw to his face and let out a deep breath to calm himself. But the lingering thought of Flare being with Inferno continued to haunt his mind. He shook his head and walked towards the training room.

He arrived at the door and opened it slightly to peer inside. Several possible outcomes came to his mind. The possibility of the two fire dragons sparring, the possibility of Inferno flirting with Flare, but what he saw was _the last_ thing he could have thought of.

In the middle of the ring was Flare, laying on top of Inferno with her head pressed under his chin.

They were cuddling.

At that moment, the Guardian's heart completely shattered.

* * *

Incendia walked out of her and Ignitus's room after a short rest. Although it was the afternoon, she and her mate spent much of the night before reminiscing their lives together, and their son.

The dragoness let out a sigh, _What to do? Ignitus and Blaze should be done with their session. They should be on the roof._

She walked through the corridor that would lead to the stairwell to the roof when she saw Volteer walking in the opposite direction.

"Hello Volteer," she greeted, but something was wrong with the dragon.

His shoulders were slouched, his tail dragged on the ground, and his gaze was fixed to the stone surface.

Incendia stopped, "Volteer?"

The Electric Guardian stopped walking at the sound of his name. He directed his gaze to her. Incendia looked into his eyes and was shocked. Instead of his usual bright, happy eyes they were confused, saddened, and most of all, hurt. What was scary to her was that he practically looked dead.

"What's wrong?"

Volteer struggled to keep his emotions in check to respond. "He… she… I just…" he couldn't speak.

"What?"

"I saw Flare and Inferno in the training room…"

* * *

_In the middle of the ring was Flare, laying on top of Inferno with her head pressed under his chin._

_They were cuddling._

* * *

"Volteer… I…" Incendia didn't know what to say. It was obvious that the revelation hurt Volteer more than anything. She knew nothing she could say would make him feel better.

Without a word, Volteer left the dragoness in the corridor, doing his best to not let his emotions get the best of him. But, the more he suppressed them, the more it hurt.


	14. Together at Last

Chapter 14: Together at Last

Night had fallen over Warfang, and the citizens were turning in for the night. The temple was following suit.

"Lastly, what of the young dragons?" asked Ignitus, "they are of age to," he hesitated to say the word, "mate. And with two days until the Celestial event, what should we do?"

"They are mature enough," said Terrador, "Still, I believe, there should be some restriction. We don't want their training to be more difficult because of hatchlings. So, I propose that we discuss the subject with them, and have a restriction until they have completed the minimum two years of training."

Cyril nodded in agreement.

Ignitus nodded himself, "That sounds like the best course of action." The Fire Guardian looked to his mate, "Incendia, could you talk to Cynder and Glacia about the matter on that day?"

"Of course."

Cyril raised a brow, "Why wait? Shouldn't we talk tomorrow, sooner rather than later?"

"It would give us time to make all the necessary preparations," Ignitus replied, "better safe than sorry."

"I agree," Terrador replied.

"Before we get too deep into this conversation, where is that tongue waggling dragon?" asked Cyril annoyed of the Electric Guardian's absence.

Incendia knew, but couldn't bring herself to say anything.

"Relax Cyril," Ignitus said, "he probably got side-tracked in the library. You know how he is."

_Yes,_ Incendia thought to herself,_ but not the side-tracked your thinking of._

"In any case, we will tell him tomorrow morning. Now let's turn in for the night."

The other two Guardians nodded and left the chamber for their rooms. Incendia and Ignitus followed the Guardians' actions.

"I am off to bed, love," Ignitus said to Incendia, "are you going to join me?"

Incendia smiled, "Give me a few minutes and I'll be there."

Ignitus nodded, giving his mate a kiss on her cheek and walked to their room.

* * *

With night fallen, Flare would have been heading to bed if it wasn't for a certain electric dragon. She had not seen him since they arrived back at the temple with Inferno. He wasn't in the library nor in the dining room. She was running out of ideas as to where he could be. Was he avoiding her? She shook her head, she had known Volteer for a long time, and he wasn't one to do something like this, unless something really upset him. However, that was usually an extreme scenario for him.

She was so deep in her thoughts she bumped into another fire dragoness. She turned and saw that it was Incendia. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Incendia," she apologized.

"It's fine, Flare. Accidents happen."

"I am looking for Volteer. Have you seen him?"

Incendia took notice that the fire dragon, Inferno, wasn't with Flare.

"I haven't seen him since Inferno, Spyro, and I had our training session, and even after my rematch with Inferno I haven't seen him around the temple."

This quickly caught the older dragoness' attention, "You were sparring with Inferno?"

Flare was slightly taken back by the sudden question. "Yes… I was, so to speak. He asked for a rematch after I beat him at the Fire Ascension Competition."

* * *

_Flare relaxed her muscles and laid on top of Inferno with her head under his chin, waiting for the adrenaline to pass. The two fire dragons laid there for a brief moment, not caring if someone was to walk in. They just needed to catch their breaths._

_Recovering, Flare slowly got off of Inferno, "Looks like I am still victorious."_

_The fire dragon nodded in agreement, "Yes, I thought that you only won because I landed outside the ring. But you proved me wrong." He got up from his laying position. "Thank you for the rematch. You will make a great teacher."_

_Flare smiled at his comment, "Thank you. What are you going to do now?"_

_ "__I'm going to head on home, but don't think that I will not train to get better. There could be another competition, and I want to be ready for it."_

_ "__I'll walk you out," Flare offered, as the two fire dragons made their way to the main entrance to the temple. _

* * *

Incendia was stunned, but acted fast, "His room. I believe he is in his room. Go."

To emphasize her point she nudged Flare to the direction of the Guardians' corridor.

"What are you-?"

"No time," Incendia interrupted, "go to Volteer. It will make it easier on both of you."

Not wanting to press further, Flare walked toward Volteer's room wondering what the older fire dragoness meant.

* * *

He was completely broken, on the inside at least. Volteer laid on his circular bed with his back to the door. He let the tears run freely down his face. He didn't bother to get any candles to light the room. The darkness suited him. He wished that it was even darker so that he couldn't see at all, but the balcony entrance let in enough light to see around the room.

His heart shattered when he saw the position that Flare and Inferno were in. He was going to take the leap and hope for the best. Now, he wished he had done it earlier and that she reject him. It would be better than this.

Volteer decided that he would never love again, it hurt beyond any physical pain. Impalement, electrocution, anything he had been through in the past didn't come close to this kind of pain. It didn't seem fair to him, however, part of him thought that he should have expected it. For all he knew, Flare and Inferno were already in a relationship.

A quiet creak came from his door, letting light into the dark room.

"Volteer?"

The Electric Guardian knew the owner of the voice and wiped his tears away without her knowing. He remained in his position with his back to the door.

"Yes?" he replied, hiding his emotions as best as possible.

Flare walked in and closed the door, shrouding the room with darkness again.

"Are you okay?"

Silence.

She walked closer to the Electric Guardian. She knew him long enough to know that if he clammed up he was either serious about something, or something was troubling him.

"I've known you too long." She sat on her haunches near to his bed, "What's wrong?"

Volteer slowly got off the bed and with his back still to her.

"Shouldn't you be with Inferno?" he said, turning around to look at her.

Flare's head shifted slightly, seeing his eyes; they were red and were a little wet. The question caught her off guard. Why was he crying and what is this with Inferno?

"And leave you here as a mess and in pieces?"

"I just didn't want to take up your time with him. He is courting you after all."

Flare raised a brow, "Courting? No, we aren't."

"Don't lie to me," Volteer almost spat, "I saw you."

Flare was confused, "You saw me what?"

Volteer hesitated to form the words, "I saw you cuddling with Inferno in the training room earlier."

Flare instantly knew what he was talking about, "I wasn't cuddling with anyone, let alone with Inferno."

It was Volteer's turn to be confused, "What?"

"To get things straight, Inferno was only here to have a rematch from the Fire Ascension Competition. He thought that is was unfair that he was declared the loser only because he fell out of the ring. Saying that he wanted to join a training session was just an excuse. That was it. I was the winner in our little rematch."

Volteer was stunned. All this time, Inferno just wanted a rematch.

There was something that Flare needed to know, "You were crying because you thought I was… cuddling with him? Why?"

Volteer acted quickly, "I wasn't crying… It was just, I used a quick electric discharge to create some light. My eyes just had no time to adjust."

Flare glared at him, "Really?"

Volteer avoided looking in her blue eyes, hoping that she would drop the conversation before she figured out everything.

Flare thought about the previous events. Why he was acting the way he was, why he was crying at the thought of her cuddling with another dragon.

She looked at the Electric Guardian with realization, "You were jealous, weren't you?"

Volteer looked away and sighed, only confirming her statement. It was over. He let his emotions get the better of him and now Flare knew of his feelings for her.

The Electric Guardian decided to come clean, "Yes… Yes I was."

He waited for it. He waited for her to reject him, tell him that she just didn't feel the same way. At that moment, he just wanted to vanish away from the Dragon Realms.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" she asked, stepping closer to him.

Volteer turned to look at her, "What do you-" he was interrupted when Flare pressed her lips to his.

His eyes widened, caught off guard. Flare pushed up against him and the two fell onto his bed with Flare on top of Volteer, still lip-locked. Volteer's yellow eyes slowly closed as he returned the kiss. It was everything he could imagine, even better.

Flare pulled away, separating their lips, to look the Electric Guardian with a loving smile, "Because you aren't the only one."

"Since," Volteer's mind was still trying to process what was happening, "since when did you have feelings for me?"

The fire dragoness replied, "It was about the time we became sparring partners, when I really got to know you. During that time, I fell in love with you, but I wasn't entirely sure. Until…"

"Until what?" the Guardian asked.

Flare nuzzled her head into his neck affectionately as her right paw brushed down his left side, making him shiver slightly. Her paw stopped in a specific area of his left side. There were two scars, barely visible.

"The day you saved my life."

* * *

_Volteer was knocked back by an ice blast coming from his opponent. The younger electric dragon kept his footing and shot an arc of lightning. The light blue ice dragon he faced jumped away to avoid the yellow bolt. Volteer returned to a fighting stance and heard a feminine grunt. He quickly glanced behind him to see his female partner._

_The red dragoness landed next to him, still facing her fire dragon opponent._

_The dragon flew to his partner to regroup._

_Flare turned to face the two dragons, remaining at Volteer's side. The fire and ice dragons panted, but smiled with confidence, seeing the electric dragon and fire dragoness panting faster. However, the latter were breathing in near perfect sync._

_Flare spoke to her partner, "We're getting nowhere," she loo__ked__ at Volteer, "Any ideas?"_

_Volteer nodded and looked back at her, "We need to restrategize. __Let's__ switch, you'll have the elemental advantage, I can handle fire." He paused and gave her a smile, "Thanks to you."_

_Flare returned the smile, "Done."_

_With that, Flare rushed to the waiting duo, with an electric dragon close behind. The fire dragoness clashed claws with the ice dragon. The red dragon was about to intervene with a swipe of his claw when Volteer blocked the strike and let a lightning bolt escape his jaws._

_His opponent was sent flying, landing several yards away. Volteer quickly glanced at Flare and saw that she had the other dragon handled. He then proceeded his assault on the dragon. The fire dragon pushed himself up, giving Volteer a death glare. He brought up his right claws and they turned into a light crimson, using his element to heat up his claws. Volteer continued regardless; he had seen this technique from both books and Flare during their own training sessions. _

_The red dragon __lurched__ with his fire claw out, but Volteer dodged left. The electric dragon saw the flaw in his opponent's play, he didn't heat up his left claw. With this in mind, Volteer brought his own claws and dug them into the dragon's scales. Before the fire dragon could retaliate, Volteer used his own element to charge up his claws, sending electricity through the dragon's body. Volteer ceased his attack, and his opponent fell to the ground unconscious. _

_Volteer turned around to see how his partner was __faring__. The scene he saw made his heart skip a beat. Flare was on the ground, struggling to get back on her feet. The ice dragon she was fighting was a few yards from her. He opened his mouth, a bluish mist collecting in that area. Volteer eyes widened at realization hit him. Electricity surrounded his body and he leapt at a speed faster than the eye could see._

_Time seemed to slow down for the fire dragoness. Flare looked at the ice dragon as he shot two ice shards traveling right at her. Flare could not move out of the way, and judging by the size and speed, she would either be seriously injured or even worse. She could only close her eyes and turn her head to await her fate._

_The sound of the ice shards penetrating scales was heard, but Flare felt no pain. She slowly opened her eyes and realized that she was alright. She caught a glimpse of yellow in the corner of her eye. She turned her head to see her savior, Volteer. Before she could say her thanks, the electric dragon collapsed to the floor. He lay motionless on his right side, __revealing __two icy shards stabbed deep into his left side. Crimson blood ran down the electric dragon's side, soon painting the floor with red drops. Flare gasped and quickly got on her feet with sudden surge of strength and got to her partner._

_An older earth dragon leapt onto the ring and quickly made is way to the pair. When he made it to the two partners he examined the injury and his eyes widened._

_ "__We need a healer!"_

_No sooner than he said those words, two dragons left the room in order to get assistance._

_Flare's eyes teared up, "W…Will he make it?"_

_The earth dragon gave the fire dragoness a sadden eyes, "The shards may have hit a vital organ."_

_Flare let a gasp escape her lips as tears slowly made their way down her face._

_The earth dragon looked to the ice dragon with anger, "What the hell were you thinking!__?__ This was a sparring match! Not a survival simulation! If this was an accident then you should go back to basic training and learn how to control you element better!"_

_The ice dragon wore a look of fear and maybe a hint of regret._

_An ice dragoness and an electric dragoness entered the room in a rush. Two other earth dragons were with the pair. When they stood next to the unconscious dragon the healers began their work._

_ "__He has lost some blood," the ice dragoness said, "it seems as if the shards are actually holding some of the blood. The ice dragoness examined the shards more closely to __confirm__ her assessment._

_The electric dragoness laid a gentle paw on Volteer and closed her eyes to concentrate. "His heart rate is slowing! We need to move him and operate!" She turned to the two earth dragons, "I want you two to take this part of the ring so we can move him. Be as gentle as possible."_

_The dragonesses pushed Flare and the older earth dragon away from Volteer to give the dragons room. The earth dragons gave a nod to each other and stepped forward. Suddenly the part of the ring Volteer was on was hovering._

_ "__Let's take him to the medical wing," said the ice dragoness leading the way._

_As the electric dragoness was leaving__,__ Flare gently pulled her back. "Will he be okay?"_

_The electric dragoness looked deep into the Flare's blue eyes, seeing the tears that were making their way down her cheeks. "I honestly don't know," she replied, shaking her head._

_This was not the response Flare was hoping for. _

_ "__If you wish__,__ you may come with us."_

_Flare nodded her head and followed the dragoness, hoping that her partner would pull through._

* * *

During his time in the infirmary Flare stayed with him, even during the operation to properly remove the shards and heal his wounds. While he recovered, Flare would visit every day to make sure he was doing fine.

That's when he realized that, Flare did love him. He looked into her blue eyes with his own yellow, hurt ones.

"All this time… and I assumed that you did not have any feelings for me. That you were looking for another dragon."

Flare pressed herself closer to him and nuzzled him again, "Answer me this: If we confessed our feelings back then, would you be a Guardian?"

Volteer put serious thought into the question. If he indeed confessed his love to Flare then, he would more than likely not attempt being a Guardian.

"No."

"Besides, we are together now, and that is what matters right?" she earned a nod from the Guardian. "Besides," she continued, "I was never looking for anyone."

"Really?" Volteer questioned with raised brows.

Flared nodded, "I had already found the perfect dragon for me. It sort of came up between Inferno and me earlier, when he left.

* * *

_ "__Well, I guess this is good-bye," Flare said to the red dragon._

_The two fire dragons had exited the temple and were saying their farewells._

_Inferno smiled, "For now I suppose. Perhaps I could stop by in future for a sparring match."_

_ "__Eager to lose again?" Flare joked, making the pair of fire dragons laugh._

_When the chuckles died down Inferno spoke, "Well, we could meet again sooner." He shifted himself to look directly at the dragoness. "We could meet for dinner tomorrow."_

_Flare felt a light warmth in her cheeks, "Like a date?"_

_The fire dragon gave her a small smile._

_Flare began to process the idea, but something came into her head. An image of the Electric Guardian came into her mind. She pictured his sweet smile she had adored for so long._

_The fire dragoness shook her head slowly, and looked back at the dragon, "I'm sorry, but I have to decline. You see, there is already someone."_

_Inferno had a look of disappointment, mixed with understanding, "I should have guessed."_

_Flare wasn't sure of what exactly he had meant, but chose to ignore it for now._

_ "__Don't worry," she said patting his shoulder, "She's out there."_

_Inferno turned his gaze out to the horizon, and muttered, "Maybe." He glanced back at Flare with a smile, "Good-bye."_

_He then jumped into the air, flapping his wing, and headed into the city._

* * *

Volteer chuckled lightly and said, "I can't say I have any similar experiences. Dragonesses weren't exactly lining up to be with me."

Flare snuggled closer to her yellow dragon, "Well, that's too bad for them."

Volteer smiled and shifted himself and Flare so that his head was against the pillows, with Flare still laying on top of him. He pulled the dragoness closer to him and gave her a loving nuzzle.

"I love you, Flare," he whispered.

She returned the nuzzle and whispered back, "I love you too, Volteer."

And in no time the new couple fell asleep.


	15. First Date

Chapter 15: First Date

The Electric Guardian's eyes slowly opened as he awoke from his slumber. He instantly felt extra weight on his body and adjusted himself slightly to see Flare sleeping on top of him. He let a smile form as he watched her continue to sleep peacefully.

He found it hard to believe that after so many years of being apart they would be together like this.

_It's wonderful_, Volteer thought to himself, _She was my best friend, sparring partner, and crush_. The yellow dragon could feel slight tingling on his cheeks when he thought of the last word. _Now she is my other half, my lover, and my mate._

Volteers eyes widened slightly as the word came to mind, _Mate?_

The Electric Guardian took another look at Flare's relaxed face. She had a small smile, making Volteer assume that she was having a pleasant dream.

He looked up at the ceiling and could only ask; he was thinking that far ahead? It was a miracle that they got together so soon after being apart for so long, more so that they were together at all.

_Volteer. Sometimes it's better to not think with your head, but with your heart._ Spyro's words echoed in Volteer's head.

The Guardian smiled, Spyro was right, of course. Sometimes Volteer swore that Incendia was Spyro's mother, the purple dragon seemed to have Incendia's talent.

The sunlight from outside made its way into the room. He glanced at his fire dragoness, gently shifting his wing to protect her from the sunlight that came from the balcony entrance.

Seeing Flare's beautiful face made him feel better. Whenever the time came for them to take the ultimate step of love, they would be ready.

After a few more minutes the fire dragoness stirred and her eyes opened. She looked up at Volteer, "Good morning."

Volteer smiled and brushed his snout against hers, "Good morning."

Flare snuggled closer to the electric dragon, "How are you this morning?"

"Absolutely perfect with you here. And yourself?"

"The exact same," she replied, pecking his cheek. "Do we have to meet with the others this morning?"

Volteer nodded, they both wanted nothing more than to stay the way they were the rest of the day, but duty calls. Flare rolled off of Volteer to let him get up. Volteer got off of the bed as well and the new couple stretched their muscles.

"Ready?" he asked, earning a nod from the dragoness.

They stepped out of his room and he closed the door. Flare pressed herself against him and wrapped her tail around his, causing Volteer to smile. The two then made their way towards the Guardians' chamber.

"I wish we didn't have to get up," Flare stated as they walked.

"Me neither, but duty calls," he replied rubbing his head against hers.

They approached the door to the chamber and separated. The door opened and they walked in, seeing the Guardians and Incendia waiting.

"Good morning," Volteer greeted, the other dragons looked at the arrivals but said nothing, making Volteer and Flare a little uncomfortable.

It was Incendia who broke the silence, "I see that you two worked everything out."

The electric dragon and fire dragoness each raised a brow.

To explain her point, Incendia nodded her head forward between the two dragons. They looked behind each other and saw that their tails were still intertwined. Volteer and Flare looked back at each other, blushing.

"Yes," Volteer explained, fighting off the blush, "Flare and I are now a couple."

As if to emphasize his point, he draped his right wing over Flare's back and stepped closer to her. She smiled and nuzzled her head against his.

"Yes, yes," Cyril interrupted, "this is very touching, but we have a matter to discuss, considering you decided not show up last night."

The couple broke apart to listen, tails still wrapped around one another.

Ignitus began, "Yes, the dragons are of the age to mate, so we have decided to talk to them about the subject, and a restriction to the act."

"Didn't we discuss the topic already? And what might the restriction be?" asked Volteer.

Terrador took over, "They cannot mate until the minimum two years of training are completed. Granted that they could take longer, but at that point it is not as problematic."

Volteer nodded in agreement.

"So," the Earth Guardians continued, "Ignitus will talk to Spyro and Blaze, I will talk to Terrain, Incendia will talk to Glacia and Cynder, and you will talk to Volt. Cyril will begin some of the preparations."

Cyril spoke up, "I have a suggestion."

The other dragons gave the Ice Guardian their attention.

"Why not have me discuss the subject with Volt, while Volteer makes the preparations."

Cyril gave Volteer a sly look, one Volteer has seen often. It usually meant some sort of witty insult, or embarrassing comment.

Volteer narrowed his eyes slightly, "Is there a problem with me talking to Volt about it?"

The Ice Guardian shrugged, "Not really. Only that I think that we shouldn't have someone talk to him with… no experience."

Volteer's face turned red, both in embarrassment and in anger. The others looked on with wide eyes, only wondering what the electric dragon would do, specifically to the ice dragon.

Volteer never got the chance.

A fire ball blew past him from the side and exploded when it made contact with the Ice Guardian's chest. The dragon fell on the ground in pain, only getting a moan out. Volteer glanced to the source to see that it was Flare who fired the orb.

Flare had her eyes narrowed at Cyril, giving a snort. She looked up at her dragon, smiling at his dumbstruck look. Flare tightened her tail's hold on his own and pulled him toward the chamber door.

"How about we go for a walk," she asked. The dragoness giggled when Volteer only dumbly nodded.

"When will we start?" the Electric Guardian asked, regaining composure.

"Tomorrow," Ignitus answered.

Volteer raised an eye brow, "Why wait?"

"It will give us plenty of time to prepare for the celestial event that occurs that night. This is the main reason why we are discussing it again."

Volteer's face lit up with realization and gave his fellow Guardian a nod.

"Is that it for this little meeting?"

The two Guardians nodded, while the other was getting up.

Volteer turned to leave the room with Flare next to him. The door opened as they approached it and they continued to walk passed it.

The door was about to close behind them when Incendia spoke up, "Volteer."

He and Flare turned around as the door began to close.

"The restriction does not apply to you."

With a hot blush, he was about to defend himself, but the door closed. Ignitus shook his head at his mate's behavior, but he and Terrador couldn't help but laugh at the look on Volteer's face.

Incendia calmly walked over to Cyril who was now brushing soot of his chest, where he had been hit. He paused as he took notice of the dragoness.

After a brief pause, Incendia turned around to walk back to her mate's side, but she made sure that her tail slapped Cyril square in the face.

The Ice Guardian let out a yelp of pain causing the other Guardians to laugh.

* * *

Spyro gave a knock on Cynder's door, excited and nervous about their first date. He turned his head to look at the bag slung around his neck. He opened it to see to contents of gold pieces and did a quick count to make sure he had plenty. After he closed the bag, the black dragoness opened the door. She too had a small bag around her neck.

"Hey," she said with a little anticipation in her voice.

"Are you ready to go?" the purple dragon asked, earning a nod from the dragoness.

Cynder closed the door behind her and the pair walked down the hall toward the main corridor.

As they entered the main hall Cynder asked, "So what do you have planned?"

"I thought we could look through the market first to see if it has anything interesting. Does that sound like a good start?"

The dragoness nodded with a smile.

Spyro continued, "Later, for dinner, we can go to a place that the others have been to. It's not fancy, but it's supposed to be a very nice place."

Spyro opened the large temple doors as the pair walked outside.

Cynder spoke, "That sounds lovely, but what do you want to do in between the two? It's just past noon." To state her point, she lifted her head to the bright sky with the sun hanging over head.

The purple dragon nudged her shoulder with his own and said, "You can decide."

Spyro flapped his wings and took to the air with the black dragoness right behind him.

In a few minutes, they landed near the middle of the city. Dragons were walking around, shopping, eating, and chatting. The market was large with lots of shops, cafes, and diners. The distance between adjacent buildings was large so there was a lot of room for dragons to move around freely. The market was not far from The Fountain of Guardians, so it made a good meeting point for many.

"Wow," Cynder said, taking everything in. "Are all of these buildings shops?"

Spyro shook his head, "No, there are also diners and other small places to eat." Spyro looked at the black dragoness, "So what do you want to do first?"

"How about we glance through the shops? Maybe we'll find something good."

The purple dragon gave her a smile and the pair made their way to the first building. Spyro opened the door for his dragoness, letting her walk in first. He followed her in and they scanned the shop to see assortments of chocolates on different tables. Along the window, next to the door, there were a few dragons sitting at tables enjoying the sweets.

"This is a good way to ruin my dinner," Spyro said, making Cynder giggle.

"Why do you sound surprised?" the dragoness asked, "It's called 'Sweet Fang'."

"That's a weird name," he stated softly so that only Cynder heard.

"Did you not read the sign before coming in?"

Her answer was a shake of his head.

The pair walked up to a counter with open boxes, all of which had different types of chocolate inside. Cynder broke away from Spyro to examine a different counter as Spyro went through the same one.

Cynder scanned over the counter and smiled, "Spyro, come here."

The purple dragon turned to her and made his way over to her.

When he was next to her he asked, "What did you find?"

His question died off as he looked at the contents of the counter. There were strawberries coated in chocolate. A few of the strawberries were covered in the brown coating, but most had a little more decoration. Some had the chocolate with another color on it, Spyro's guess was an edible coloring. Some even had letters on them; four strawberries lay side-by-side spelling 'LOVE'.

Cynder shivered slightly, "Why is it so cold in here?"

"It is to keep the chocolate from melting," a voice said behind them.

The two dragons looked behind them to see an ice dragoness. Her body was a light blue color with her underbelly and wing membranes white. She had four horns, two on each side of her head. The two larger horns were mirrored by the two smaller horns. The dragoness had sapphire eyes.

"Makes sense to me," Spyro commented, "the chocolate wouldn't last very long."

The dragoness smiled, "True. Are you two interested in the strawberries?"

The couple exchanged glances for a brief moment and looked back at the dragoness, giving her nods.

"Excellent," the dragoness walked next to Spyro, "Which package would you like?"

Spyro looked at Cynder, "Go ahead."

The black dragoness glanced at him only to see him smile. She looked over the assortments in wonder, until she decided.

"How about this one?" she said pointing a paw at a package containing a near perfect mixture of the different strawberries.

"Ah, a variety pack," the ice dragoness spoke as she reached over and picked up the box of strawberries. "This way please," she said, walking over to the main counter with the box in her right paw.

As the three reached the counter, the ice dragoness placed the box on it. She lifted the box with on paw and took the lid from underneath it, and placed the lid on top.

"One variety pack. Is there anything else I can get you two today?" Her answer was only two heads shaking. "Very well, that will be seven gold coins."

As Cynder reached into her bag, Spyro nudged her. Cynder glanced at Spyro as he reached into his own bag and pulled out seven gold coins and placed them on the counter. The ice dragoness smiled at the purple dragon's gesture. She collected the coins and handed the box to Spyro, who then gave it to Cynder.

"Thank you," the ice dragoness said, "if you would like to eat them here you can." She pointed a paw toward the windows with table where a few dragons were. "If you would like to enjoy them outside, I personally would recommend The Fountain of Guardians."

Spyro smiled, "We would like to stay here."

"Wonderful, enjoy yourselves. If you need anything, just let me know."

The two dragons nodded and made their way to an open table near the window. Cynder placed the box of strawberries on the table while Spyro pulled out the cushion for her. Cynder smiled, pecked his check, and took a seat. Spyro then took the seat on the other side.

"You didn't have to pay for the box, Spy," she said, "I have plenty of coins."

"I know," he said opening the box, "however, consider this my treat."

The purple dragon pulled a chocolate covered strawberry and ate it. The combination of the taste of strawberry and chocolate hit him, and he loved it. After he swallowed the fruity sweet, he glanced at Cynder who was holding a strawberry that had some decoration on it. When she looked at him, he gave her a happy nod, and she took a bite. She had the same reaction he did.

"These are delicious!" she said with a smile.

"Without a doubt," he commented as they continued.

One by one the strawberries disappeared as the couple ate, and soon there were only a few left.

"Cynder, can I ask you a question?"

Cynder looked at her purple dragon, "Sure, what is it?"

"How did you find out that you could use more than one element? I thought only a purple dragon could do that."

Cynder raised a brow, "Where did this come from? And why didn't you ask before?"

Spyro shrugged, "I guess I never really thought about it much."

"Well, I was born as a shadow dragoness, as my parents were both shadow dragons. Like other dragons, my shadow element came up when I was a hatchling, a little after I turned five."

Spyro smirked, "Is that an insult? I was fifteen when I first used fire, remember."

Cynder giggled, "Well, you're an exception. I don't think dragonflies could teach you about the elements." The two dragons shared a laugh, "Anyway, sometime later, I was playing by myself in the house. My parents came in and were shocked, I was playing with the air around me, I was using the wind element. They took me to see masters of the wind element to be sure that it was in fact wind, and it was. A few years later I discovered my fear element, and later poison."

"So you just… started using the other Secondary elements?" Spyro asked, earning a nod from the dragoness, "I wish that is how I would have started. It took Sparx getting into trouble to get me to use fire."

"Well, how did you get your other elements?"

Spyro shrugged, "Like you, they all just came around I guess. Electricity was the second one I got, then ice, and finally earth."

"Speaking of Sparx, I know he visits you often, but do you ever visit them?"

The purple dragon nodded, "Whenever I can, but usually it's for a day or a few days. Sparx will stay at the temple for several weeks and occasionally Silver will visit too."

"They went back home, right?"

Spyro gave the dragoness a nod.

"Do you plan on visiting?" she asked.

Spyro nodded again, "On my hatchday, in a few weeks." The purple dragon gazed into Cynder's emerald orbs and continued, "I was hoping that you would come with me."

The dragoness was taken slightly aback, "You really want me to go with you?"

Spyro gave her a soft smile, "Of course. I want to show you my life before I met Ignitus."

Cynder returned his smile, "I would love to, Spyro."

There was one chocolate covered strawberry left, red and white decorative coloring twisted together around it. Spyro gently pushed the box containing the last strawberry to Cynder. The dragoness glanced at the fruit and then at Spyro, as if asking if he was sure. The purple dragon smiled with a nod of his head, and the black dragoness smiled herself and consumed the strawberry.

"Thank you Spyro," Cynder thanked, for both the strawberries and letting her eat the last one, "that was a great treat."

Both dragons stood up and headed to the exit, "You're welcome, Cyn."

As the ice dragoness was checking on the chocolates counter she noticed the two dragons leaving.

She stopped and spoke to them, "Have a nice day."

"Thank you," the couple replied together, "you too."

The two dragons stepped outside back into the fresh air.

"It's good to be out in the warmth," Cynder said.

Spyro nodded, "Yeah, it was chilly in there." He then turned to Cynder, "Where do you want to go now?"

The two dragons spent most of their time exploring the marketplace, just to see what other things they would come across. The other shops had interesting products, but nothing the two dragons needed or wanted. Finally they came to one last store.

"How about this one before we have dinner?" Spyro asked.

"Sure," Cynder answered with interest.

The store they were about to enter was a jewelry store. The couple walked in and saw a few dragons looking through the store. The store had sets of armor on top of shelves, gems and crystals were inside glass casings, and jewelry such as; chokers, bracers, tail rings, and other accessories. The two dragons split up, Cynder made her way to the accessories, while Spyro went to the armor sets.

Spyro took the time to examine the sets of armor. All of them were meant for special occasions, such as the Warfang Ball. Most of the sets had a primary color with secondary color trim. The purple dragon noticed that most of the trims were colors that usually represented the elements. It was usually custom for dragons with armor to have a trim color of their element. Spyro saw a few sets that were much more decorative, bearing; diamonds, emeralds, and other gems. Spyro could only imagine the cost. Curiously, he walked over to the decorative armor sets to see the price.

His eyes widened, _How could anyone afford that?_ he mentally questioned. He decided to explore the rest of the shop.

Cynder was looking through the different accessories the shop had to offer. All of them were either silver or gold with extra gems for more decoration.

_These are beautiful,_ she thought as she continued to scan the jewelry.

After a few moments, the black dragoness came across a set of jewelry. It was a set of a silver choker, foreleg bracers, and a tail ring, similar to the set she was currently wearing. The design did hold slight differences. One major difference was the emerald in the center of the choker.

Spyro made his way over to Cynder, "You find something, Cynder?"

Cynder glanced at the purple dragon, "Look at this, Spyro," she beckoned.

The purple dragon obeyed and walked to Cynder's side. He looked at the set of silver jewelry. He took turns glancing between the silver set and Cynder's iron set.

"Your set and this set look pretty similar," Spyro stated, earning a nod from the dragoness.

Spyro took the time to scan over the other accessories and noticed that, like the armor, there were many different variants. He looked back at Cynder, who was still looking over the silver set. He glanced outside and noticed the orange hue, indicating the evening.

The purple dragon gave the dragoness a soft nudge, getting her attention. "How about we go to dinner?"

"Sure," she replied, "Where do you have in mind?"

Spyro pointed a claw at the window, making Cynder's eyes trail to a building across the street.

"It's called 'Under the Stars.' It's not too fancy and it's supposed to have good food."

The black dragoness smiled, "Okay then, let's go."

"Go ahead," the purple dragon said, "I'll be right behind you. I'm going to take a quick look at something."

Cynder raised a brow, but nodded and made her way out the door.

The purple dragon made sure that she didn't look back at the store, before quickly making his way to the counter.

A light green dragoness at the counter took notice of him. She asked, "How may I help you?"

"I would like to place an order."

* * *

The black dragoness stood right outside of the restaurant waiting for Spyro. She smiled when she saw the purple dragon jog over to her.

"Hey Cynder," he said when he got next to her, "are you ready?"

"Of course," she said with a nod.

The couple turned towards the door that would lead into the building. Spyro opened the door, gesturing for the black dragoness to walk in. As she made her way inside, Spyro followed her and closed the door behind him.

The restaurant was divided into two sides with a short wall making the division. The diner itself was relatively dark with many candles hanging from the ceiling, giving the restaurant its name. There were quite a few dragons dining, but there was still plenty of room.

The pair walked up to a red fire dragoness standing behind a podium.

"Hello, welcome to 'Under the Stars'. Will the two of you be dinning with us?"

"Yes," Spyro said politely.

"Excellent," the dragoness grabbed two menus and stepped away from the podium. "Follow me please."

The dragoness began to walk to the right side of the restaurant as the couple followed.

As they walked, Cynder began to notice the types of dragons that were there. Most of the attendees she saw were couples, making her wonder if Spyro planned a more romantic date than she thought.

The fire dragoness stopped next to a clear table with cushions on both sides. She gestured both dragons to take their seats.

As the pair got situated, the dragoness placed down the menus and spoke, "Here are your menus. Your server will be here shortly." She gave them a smile as she made her way back to the front.

The two dragons each grabbed a menu and started to look over the meals.

"What are you going to have, Cynder?" Spyro asked.

Cynder continued to skim over the menu until she came to a decision.

"I think I'll have the grilled lamb," she stated looking from her menu to Spyro, "what about you?"

"I'm probably going to have the deer."

Their conversation was cut short when a green earth dragon walked to their table.

"Good evening, my name is Fissure, and I will be your server for today," he said politely, "Do you happen to know what you would like, or do you need more time?"

"I think we are ready," Spyro answered.

"Good. What will you have?"

Cynder spoke first, "I will have the grilled lamb."

The earth dragon nodded and looked to Spyro.

"And I will have the roasted deer."

Fissure smiled, "I will be back with your dinners." He took the menus from the two and walked away to give their order to the chefs.

The couple looked at each other once more.

"This is nice, Spyro," Cynder spoke.

The purple dragon smiled, "I'm glad you think so."

"But I have to ask."

Spyro raised a brow, "Yes?"

"Earlier, you said that this place was not too fancy." She looked around the room, causing Spyro to do the same. "If this is not fancy then I'm not sure if I want to know your definition of fancy."

Spyro glanced at the table, slight nervousness showing, "Well, I wanted it to be a surprise, but I also wasn't sure if you minded eating at restaurant like this or not. So I just took a shot."

Cynder smiled, "Well, your shot paid off. Thank you very much, Spy."

Spyro relaxed his muscles and spoke, "You're welcome, Cyn." Cynder's smile nearly made him melt. "Did you have a good time?"

"I'm having a wonderful time."

Spyro shook his head slightly, "I mean, did you have a good time earlier, when we were going through the shops."

Cynder leaned over the table and gave the dragon a quick kiss on his cheek. A blushed formed on Spyro's cheeks, mainly because of the fact that they were in public.

The black dragoness leaned back on her cushion, "Today has been one of the best days of my life, Spyro."

Hearing this, Spyro was now completely at ease. "So," he started, trying to start up a different conversation, "How has training been with Glacia and Cyril?"

"It's been fine," she answered, "we do several sparring matches, and most of them, she almost wins."

"Almost?"

Cynder smiled, "You of all dragons should know that it is hard to fight against elements you're not too familiar with."

Spyro chuckled remembering how he, himself, struggled against Cynder in their earlier sparring sessions. "Yeah, not to mention that you have four. That alone makes it unpredictable."

"You seemed to adapt pretty fast. It didn't take long for our matches to be nearly, perfectly even."

Spyro's eyes narrowed, "What does that mean?"

Cynder smirked, "Do you honestly think you are better than me in a fight?"

The purple dragon returned the smirk, "I don't think, I know."

"Well," she replied, "someone is confident. If that's the case, we'll have to settle it sometime."

"I'm ready whenever you are."

"Excuse me," a new voice came.

The couple jumped out of their conversation. They turned their heads to see that the owner of the voice was Fissure. With the earth dragon was a grey wind dragon.

"Sorry to interrupt, but your meals are ready."

_That was fast_, both dragons thought to themselves.

Fissure placed the grilled lamb in front of Cynder, while the wind dragon placed the roasted deer in front of Spyro.

"Enjoy," Fissure said, leaving the table with the other dragon.

"Thank you," Spyro said.

Fissure turned around for a brief moment, nodded with a smile, and continued on with his job.

"This looks tasty," Cynder commented, getting a nod from Spyro.

Spyro took a bite from his deer. His mouth watered as if begging him to continue.

"This is really, really good," he exclaimed.

Cynder took a bite out of her lamb and felt a similar sensation, "Delicious."

The pair ate in silence, enjoying both the food and the atmosphere. After a few minutes, both dragons had devoured their meals.

Spyro wiped his mouth with a napkin that laid on the table and spoke, "That hit the spot. It's a really good change from the food back at the temple."

"I could not agree more," the black dragoness replied.

Fissure returned to their table, a piece of paper in his paw.

"Did you enjoy the food?" he asked. He earned nods from the couple. "Good," he placed the paper receipt faced down on the table, "You may pay at the front when you are ready."

"Thank you," Spyro said.

The earth dragon smiled and made his way to another table.

The purple dragon took the receipt before Cynder could even move her paw. When Spyro looked it over, his other paw tensed up. He knew he was short a few gold coins, including a tip. He knew that he definitely underestimated how much dinner would cost.

Cynder took notice, "Spyro? You okay? You look tense."

He shook his head, "No, everything is fine."

He reached for his bag of gold coins, missing Cynder rolling her eyes. He pulled out four gold coins and placed them on the table as the tip. As he started pulling out the rest, Cynder took some of her own coins and placed them in front of Spyro.

"Take these, Spyro."

Spyro glanced up at the table, seeing the coins. He shook his head and gently pushed them back, "No Cyn-"

"I know for a fact that you're short a few gold coins. If you weren't, you wouldn't be as tense as you are."

Spyro glanced down at the table in thought. The black dragoness brought up both of her paws and placed them on Spyro's.

"You've already done so much for me. Let me do something for you too."

Spyro's amethyst eyes gazed into Cynder's emerald ones and he gave her a smile. He nodded and took the coins and started counting. When he had the correct amount, he put them in his bag, and gave the leftovers back to her. Cynder put the coins in her bag. The couple got up, and made their way to the front podium, the same red dragoness from before was there.

She smiled as the two stood in front of her, "Did you enjoy yourselves?" She received happy smiles as her answer.

Spyro gave the dragoness the receipt and opened his bag. He pulled all of the gold coins out and gave them to the red dragoness. She glanced at the paper to count the coins to double check, making sure it was the correct amount.

"Everything is in order," she said when she finished, "have a good night."

"Thank you," the two dragons said in unison, making their way out of the restaurant.

Night had fallen, and the residents of the city were turning in. Some shops in the market were closing and the owners were ushering customers out. Several fire lit lamps provided light for the streets along with the overhead moon.

"That was very nice Spyro," Cynder said to her purple dragon.

"I'm glad that you think so," he replied as they made their way towards the temple.

Cynder rubbed her cheek against Spyro's, "Today was perfect."

"Even though I was short a few coins for dinner?" he asked.

"Yes, it's the least I could do. After all, you bought us those strawberries, and those were delicious. Besides, it made me feel good to pitch in."

The dragons flapped their wings and fly into the sky to reach the temple.

Spyro smiled as he thought about the day's events. Cynder didn't mind helping pay for dinner. As Spyro thought about it, she might have just paid for it herself. In fact, if he hadn't, she probably would have paid for the strawberries. There is not one thing he would change.

Cynder was having similar thoughts. The purple dragon did everything for her, the strawberries, the other shops, dinner, everything was for her. Part of her felt a little shallow for him paying for everything, but when the opportunity came she, of course, took it. She would at least do for him what he did for her. Spyro always looked after her, more than anyone, even himself. And that was why she loved him so much.

The pair arrived at the main entrance of the temple. Once they landed, Spyro opened the door for the dragoness, and when she walked inside, he followed. They made their way down the corridor, walking toward the students' hall.

Their attention was brought to the Guardian's hall as the door opened, revealing Incendia.

"Welcome back," she said, "Did you two enjoy your day?"

She received smiles and nods from the two dragons.

"Yes we did," Spyro answered.

Cynder answered by pecking a kiss on the purple dragon's cheek, causing heat to rush to his face.

"Well very good, I'm glad to hear it," Incendia said.

"What are you doing here?" Cynder asked curiously.

"Oh, Ignitus and Blaze should be getting close to ending their training session. I'm just waiting out here for my dragon."

Spyro asked, "Why not go to him?"

The fire dragoness smiled, "Why would I go to the dragon when I can have the dragon come to me?" She gave a wink, mainly to Cynder who smiled.

"We are going to head to bed," Cynder said.

"I will see you two in the morning."

Spyro and Cynder walked to the door, leading to the students' corridor. As they approached, the door opened, and as they left, it closed. The couple walked down the hall and stopped in front of Spyro's room.

"I guess this is good night," Cynder said, "Thank you for today, Spyro. I really enjoyed it."

Spyro smiled, "You are very welcome, Cynder."

The two dragons leaned into each other and entered a passionate kiss. After a moment they pulled apart, and nuzzled their snouts together.

Spyro spoke again, "Do you want to sleep in my room tonight?"

Cynder continued to nuzzle his snout, "I would be happy to."

Spyro pulled away, opened the door to his room, and walked inside. Cynder followed, heading towards his bed as Spyro closed the door. The black dragoness got onto the bed and started to make herself comfortable. Once she laid down, she beckoned for Spyro to join her. He laid down next to her, his body facing her, and he pulled himself closer so that their bellies were touching. Cynder laid her head down, nuzzling it next to Spyro's head, making the purple dragon smile and return the gesture.

"I love you, Cyn."

"I love you too, Spy."

In a few short moments, sleep overtook the two dragons.


	16. The Red Celestial Moon

Chapter 16: The Red Celestial Moon

"So what does Ignitus want to talk to us about?" asked Spyro.

He and Blaze were sitting in the fire dragon's room waiting for the Fire Guardian.

"I don't know," replied Blaze, "but apparently the others are going to talk about the same thing."

The door opened and the Ignitus walked in. "Hello son, Spyro. How are you two this morning?"

"Fine," the two dragons replied in unison.

"Now I know you are curious as to what we are going to talk about," he spoke, earning nods from the dragons, "I am going to be blunt. We are going to talk about mating."

Spyro and Blaze froze as heat rushed to their faces. It was going to be 'the talk.'

"I know that this is a touchy subject, and we have talked about it before, but tonight there will be a rare occurrence. However, first I want to talk to you both individually." He looked at Spyro, "I want to talk to Blaze first, then I will talk to you, Spyro."

"Okay," the purple dragon said, walking toward the door.

He gave one last look to the father and son before leaving the room, closing the door behind him.

Ignitus focused his attention on his son, "Alright Blaze, I'm going to ask you a few questions."

* * *

The purple dragon sat on his haunches, outside the door that lead to Blaze's room. His back was against the wall on the left side for mild support. The dragon tried to get his mind away from the inevitable talk and start daydreaming, to past time. However, the conversation continued to plague his mind. It would be an important talk, of course, but it was also a very uncomfortable one.

After several minutes of near agonizing boredom, Blaze's room door opened. The purple dragon turned his head to see the Fire Apprentice.

"Hey Blaze," Spyro greeted.

"You're turn," was all Blaze said.

If the fire dragon was blushing, he either hid it well, or his red scales hid it. Spyro only nodded and made his way into the room, closing the door behind him.

"Come over here Spyro," Ignitus said, and Spyro obeyed. Once the purple dragon got situated Ignitus spoke again, "we are going to have a little talk."

Spyro nodded, "Okay."

Ignitus took a breath in through his snout, and blew the air out of his mouth. "I am sure that you remember the talk we have had previously, granted it was a while ago."

Spyro gave the fire dragon a nod, not interrupting.

"However, due to an incoming event, the other Guardians and I thought it best to… revisit the subject."

"What event?" the purple dragon questioned.

"I will get to that, after we talk privately. I want to discuss that with you and Blaze at the same time."

"Alright."

"I want to discuss your relationship with Cynder. How would you describe it?"

Spyro was confused, "Um…" the purple dragon trailed off.

"I'm not looking for a complicated answer. Off the top of your head, what do you think of it?"

"Well," Spyro began, "Perfect. There isn't one thing I would change."

The Fire Guardian nodded, "Good. As of right now, do you think she is the one you wish to be with for the rest of your life?"

"I don't know," he said, and a blush formed on his cheeks, "We've only been 'together' for a couple of days."

Ignitus smiled, "Yes, similar to Incendia and me." He closed his eyes, "I fell head over tail for her, and as time went on, my feelings turned into love. Not even two weeks, I decided to take that great leap; tell her that I loved her." The fire dragon opened his eyes, "Her telling me that she too loved me was one of the best days of my life. It didn't take long for me to realize that she was the one; the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with."

When Ignitus finished, he looked at the purple dragon. Spyro was glancing down for a moment, taking in the Fire Guardian's words. He seemed to not only process it through his head, but also his heart. Spyro tore his gaze away from the floor and back to the Guardian with a smile.

"Yes," he said softly, "Cynder is the dragoness I want to spend my life with."

Ignitus returned the smile, "That is good to hear. However, in time you two will want to show each other the highest form of love."

"Mating," Spyro whispered with a deep blush.

Ignitus nodded, "We are only having this conversation to make sure that you understand what can come afterwards: hatchlings. Hatchlings are the greatest gifts a mated pair can have, but they require much attention. Do you understand?"

The purple dragon nodded, "Yes, I do."

"Good. The others and I have agreed to make one restriction; that you and the others not mate until the end of the minimum Guardian training requirement. You and Cynder are under this as well so that you are all treated equally."

Spyro glanced away, "It's not like that I would force that onto Cynder."

Ignitus smiled, "I know that you won't, but we can't be too careful. Now go fetch Blaze, we have one more matter to discuss."

"Alright," the purple dragon said, making his way to the door.

Spyro opened the door, seeing Blaze in the same spot he was in previously. He gestured the fire dragon to come into the room, and Blaze obeyed. Spyro closed the door as they walked back to the Fire Guardian.

When they got situated Ignitus spoke again, "I told you that there was an event tonight, the occurrence of the Red Celestial Moon."

* * *

"Red Celestial Moon?" Cynder and Glacia asked simultaneously.

"Yes." Incendia answered, "As you know, the dragon realms have two celestial moons. One of them is red. For it to be out in the night by itself is a rare occurrence. However, looking at it has… side effects."

"Like what?" asked Cynder.

Incendia replied, "No one is entirely sure why, even Volteer has no solid idea in explaining it. The Red Celestial Moon causes dragons to become more," Incendia trailed off to find the right words, "lustful. It only happens to dragons who are not mated, but have a lover. Dragonesses are more vulnerable to the effects than dragons. This does not mean that dragons can't be affected, because they are. This means that on the night of the Red Celestial Moon, if you look at it, you will have a desire to mate with your dragon, and vise-versa."

"So this means…" started Glacia.

"We are going to be locked in our rooms," finished Cynder.

"Actually," Incendia said, "the boys will be in the training room, while you two will be in the dining hall during that time. It will be easier on you all that way rather than being locked up in your rooms bored.

"Okay," the two dragonesses replied.

The fire dragoness gave a nod, "We can't be too careful. We don't want hatchlings wandering around the temple. I don't think that I'm ready to be a grandmother just yet."

Glacia looked away from the fire dragoness with a deep red blush. Cynder couldn't help but laugh.

"What are you laughing at, young lady?" Incendia asked the black dragoness, "I'm sure Spyro's mother is thinking the same thing with Spyro."

It was Cynder's turn to blush.

* * *

"This sucks!" Blaze groaned.

Blaze, Terrain, Volt, and Spyro were lounging in the training room, waiting for the night to pass. The only thing that they could do was train or talk.

"What, not being able to beat Spyro at target practice, or being locked up in this room?" Volt asked.

"Both," the fire dragon murmured.

Spyro shrugged, "I'm not exactly unbeatable. Terrain just handed me my tail in a 'no element' sparring session." Spyro glanced at the mentioned earth dragon, who gave a smile.

"So far," Volt said, "we have established that; Terrain is the best melee fighter, Spyro is best at target practice, I'm the smartest, and Blaze is the best at element manipulation."

Blaze puffed his chest out proudly, "You bet."

"Then again," Terrain spoke up, with a smirk, "you may be creative, but you need Spyro to add something extra. You know, to make it work better."

The three dragons laughed at the Fire Apprentice's playfully angry face.

Volt turned his attention to the purple dragon, "Hey Spyro, where were you yesterday? You were gone all evening, and part of the afternoon."

Spyro smiled, "Yeah," he looked back at Volt, "Cynder and I went on our first date."

"That's great," the electric dragon smiled, "so you took my advice?"

Terrain and Blaze gave each other quizzical looks.

Spyro continued, "Sort of. I took Cynder to the marketplace for a while, and later we ate at 'Under the Stars.'"

"You took her to 'Under the Stars?" Blaze asked, getting a nod from Spyro, "nice, you can't get much better for a first date than that."

"Did you and Cynder have a good time?" Terrain asked.

The purple dragon smiled, "Of course! It feels nice, going out and spending time with your other half." Spyro shook his head, "that sounded corny."

"Nah," Volt said, putting a paw on Spyro's shoulder, "you're just in love."

* * *

Glacia let out a sigh, "I wish the other girls were with us. There's nothing to do."

Cynder nodded, "The boys have the training room, so they can keep themselves busy. But I'm sure they'll get bored after a while."

"I think that we should have gotten the training room, there's only two of us, and with those four, they could talk the night away."

The black dragoness smiled, "We have everything thing we need for sleep."

Cynder pointed her snout to the two piles of cushions and blankets they had brought from one of the temple's storage closets. With the tables moved out of the way, the dragonesses had plenty of room.

"What do you want to talk about?"

Cynder giggled softly, "We could always be like other dragonesses."

The ice dragoness raised a brow, "How?"

"We could talk about boys."

Glacia giggled, "You mean our boys?"

"Of course."

"Alright, let's get our 'beds' ready. Maybe talking will get us to sleep."

The two dragonesses began to get organized for the night. They got their cushions ready, bringing them being close enough for casual talk. The dragonesses placed the pillows and blankets where they could be easily accessed.

Once the two friends were situated, they laid on their sleeping cushions and got comfortable.

Glacia was the one to speak, "So how is being in a relationship? And with the purple dragon no less?"

Cynder smiled, "Wonderful. I love being with Spyro. Everything is just perfect, even our first date."

"Date?" Glacia asked, "is that where you were yesterday?"

The black dragoness nodded, "He took me to the marketplace for a while. The main highlight of that time was the chocolate shop we went to."

"Was it called, 'Sweet Fang'?"

Cynder raised a brow, "Yes. How did you know?"

Glacia giggled, "Blaze occasionally gets us chocolates from there every now-and-then."

"While we were there, Spyro bought us some strawberries that were covered in chocolate. Some also had edible decoration on them."

"That sounds delicious," Glacia commented.

"They were. Anyway, we went through the other shops for a while, until we decided to eat. He took me to a place called, 'Under the Stars.'"

"Really?" the light blue dragoness asked, "that's not exactly cheap."

"I know, after Spyro got the check he got stiff. That's when I realized he didn't have enough coins. So, I forced him to let me pay for some of it."

"Forced him?"

Cynder smiled, "He kept trying to refuse my offer, but I talked some sense into him."

Glacia laughed, "That sounds like Spyro, his kindness practically takes over."

"And that's what I love about him." There was a brief pause until Cynder continued, "I am happy that he was short coins though."

"Why is that?" Glacia asked curiously.

"He had already used most of his coins for me. As happy as I was, deep down, I felt a little shallow. I guess it gave me closure to pitch in, even if it was only a few coins."

The light blue dragoness smiled, "You are a good person, Cynder. Spyro is lucky to have someone like you in his life."

"I could say the same to you about Blaze."

"Someone has to keep him in line."

The two dragonesses giggled.

* * *

"Much better," Flare said to herself as she moved her bookshelf into the position she wanted. "Now, what do I do?"

She knew that she and Volteer were an official couple and it would not be long until they started to live together. She wanted to get her room set to last until then. She looked out of her balcony window get a view of the city. Instead of its usual bright lunar color, it was a red tint. Out of curiosity she looked at the sky.

"Wow, the Red Celestial Moon is beautiful."

A smile crept on the fire dragon's lips, thinking about the wonderful red glow of the moon. She blinked, and her normally blue eyes had a red hue, and were partially glazed.

* * *

With the temple empty of activity, Volteer brought books to pass the time. He was doing research on the Red Celestial Moon with a book opened on a page with a painting of the red moon. Volteer tapped a right claw on the picture, with his left paw holding his cheek, supporting his head.

"You are a fascinating mystery," he spoke, as if talking to the moon itself. "What causes your affects to take place? The lunar moon has nothing out of the ordinary like you do."

The Electric Guardian flipped through a few pages of another book containing more information.

"This event happens once or twice in a dragon's life time. Could it have been a result of dragons nearing extinction so long ago?" He shook his head, "No, records show no such low population numbers."

Volteer rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling deep in thought.

"Perhaps I need more sources," he concluded. "Regardless, time for bed," he said to himself as he stood up and set the books aside. He was about to head for his sleeping cushion when he heard a knock. "Who could that be?" he asked himself confused.

He walked to the door and opened it.

It was Flare.

"Flare? What are you doing here?"

"I had to see you," she replied as she walked in.

Volteer followed her over toward his bed.

"What is the matter?" he asked sitting on his haunches next to the bed.

"Nothing," she replied positioning herself in front of Volteer. "I just thought that we could share a very special moment tonight," she said seductively.

"What are you…" he didn't finish as Flare pressed her lips against his, pushing him against the bed.

Volteer stood his ground and pulled out of the kiss, "What is going on, Flare?"

She gave a dominant growl and pressed her lips against his again. She pushed against him harder, throwing the two dragons on the bed.

She pulled away and looked into his eyes. He saw that her eyes were slightly glazed over, and a red tinge in her blue eyes.

"I want you, Volteer."

It struck him, _She looked at the Red Celestial Moon_, he thought. "Flare, you have to snap out of it. This isn't you."

"But it is," she replied in a sexy tone.

Solutions went through his mind, trying to find a way to get out of this predicament. An idea struck him. He brought up a paw and charged it with electricity, giving off a quick discharge of light. When it was over he saw Flare looking at him with fearful eyes. She knew what she did, what she almost did. She got off of him and started to back away.

"Flare," he started but she ran out of the room. He jumped off of his bed to go after her.

He heard a door slam as he stepped out of his room. He knew it was the door to Flare's room. He calmly walked to her door, opened it, and walked in.

"Get out," was the first thing she said to him as he entered.

Volteer closed the door behind him, "Flare, calm down, it's okay."

"No!" she shouted at him, "It's not! I-I almost…" she broke down sobbing.

"That wasn't you Flare. It was the moon," he said walking closer to her.

She looked at him with tears running down her cheeks, "How can you forgive me for what I almost did? You shouldn't forgive me…" she sobbed again.

"Hey, hey, hey," he said trying to calm her down, "Shh, shh, shh. Don't think like that. If you truly love someone you will always forgive them. And I, of course, forgive you."

He wrapped his wings around her body and pressed his lips against hers. Her sobbing stopped and she returned the kiss.

After a moment she pulled away, "Thank you, Volteer." She rubbed her snout against his affectionately.

"You are welcome. Now, get to bed and get some sleep."

She nodded in agreement and crawled in her bed, closing her eyes. The Electric Guardian pulled the blankets over her body to give her warmth.

Before he could turn to leave Flare spoke, "Volteer?"

"Yes, Flare?"

"Could you… stay with me for the night?"

She knew that he would deny her request after what had just happened. However, she was shocked to feel the blanket lift off of her body. She felt the cushion shift as another body laid on it. The fire dragoness opened her blue eyes, only to look in the yellow orbs of her dragon. Volteer smiled and rubbed his snout to hers, making her relax, as she closed her eyes to fall asleep. The Electric Guardian laid for a few minutes until he thought that she was asleep.

He leaned close to her and whispered, "Someday we will mate and have hatchlings, and I can't think of anyone else to have a family with than with you."

Volteer closed his eyes and let sleep take him, missing the smile that crept on Flare's lips.


	17. Hatchdays

Chapter 17: Hatchdays

A few weeks have passed since the night of the Red Celestial Moon. Volteer and Flare's relationship had only gotten stronger since the incident on that night. The apprentices continued their training with their teachers along with Spyro and Cynder. Cynder studied and trained with Volteer on her elements and it amazed her how the Electric Guardian could teach her so much by just reading out of books and taking notes.

Soon, Spyro's hatchday came, making him twenty years old. His only request was that there was no party and no large gifts, and respecting his wishes the temple residents agreed. For his hatchday, Spyro was taking Cynder to his old home in the swamp to show her his life before he met Ignitus.

The two dragons left the temple just before noon and later arrived at the swamp.

"And here we are, Cynder," Spyro said as they touched down.

"I didn't really expect to see mushrooms this big," Cynder commented.

Spyro let out a small chuckle.

The large mushrooms were the size of trees and covered most of the swamp. There were a few swamp trees scatter across the land. Cynder could feel the humidity in the air.

"How long until we see your family?" Cynder asked as they continued their walk.

Her question fell as they came across four familiar dragonflies.

"Hey, mom and dad," Spyro spoke out.

"Spyro!" Nina said, flying to her adopted son. "How is my twenty year old son?" she asked, hugging his snout.

Spyro smiled, "Fine. I brought Cynder along."

Nina let go of her son, glanced at the black dragoness, and smiled, "It's good to see you Cynder. Have you been keeping my boy out of trouble?"

Cynder let out a small giggle and replied, "Of course."

Flash, Sparx, and Silver made their way toward the two dragons and dragonfly.

"It's good to see you, son," Flash said.

"You too, dad."

Sparx spoke up, "So, happy hatchday, bro."

"Happy hatchday to you too, Sparx."

This surprised Cynder, "Wait, what?" She took quick glances at the two adopted brothers. "You two have the same hatchday?"

"Yes," Nina spoke, hoping to clear things up for the confused dragoness. "Spyro and Sparx were born on the same day."

"Yep," said the yellow dragonfly, "Isn't that right, little brother?"

"Little brother?" Cynder asked, raising a brow.

Spyro gave Sparx a small glare, "Only by a few minutes!"

"Doesn't matter, I'm still older than you!"

"That's enough, Sparx," Silver said, breaking the brothers up. "So what brings you here, Cynder?"

"Spyro was going to show me around."

"That's all?" Nina asked, "no, no, dear. How about I tell you some stories about those two."

Spyro and Sparx looked at each other nervously.

"Let's go to the house first."

* * *

The house was more of a nest. Quite a large nest, Cynder guessed it could house two families of dragonflies. There were holes in some places to act as windows and the bedrooms were on the upper part of the nest. The living area and kitchen were on the lower part.

"At first I was scared of Spyro's large size, mainly because of the idea that he would use that against Sparx," Nina spoke.

"So you had issues with Spyro?" Cynder asked.

Nina and Flash laughed at the question.

"Of course not," Flash said, "between the two, Spyro was more of a peacekeeper while Sparx was more of the troublemaker."

Nina nodded in agreement, "Spyro was much easier to instruct, while Sparx… he was more difficult."

Not far away, under a tree, Sparx, Silver, and Spyro were hanging out. Spyro and Sparx mostly didn't want to be around to hear more of the embarrassing stories their parents would tell.

"This is embarrassing," Spyro said.

"Easy for you to say. Mom and Dad just said that I was the difficult son!"

Spyro rolled his eyes, "Well, you were. I was always getting you out of trouble."

Nina over heard the two talking, "Oh, the stories of Sparx getting into trouble as Spyro gets him out of said trouble. I have so many of them."

"Please no," Sparx groaned.

"Like what?" Cynder asked curiously.

"Well, one time they were out playing, and apparently Sparx went out teasing frog weeds. They didn't take it very well, and sucked him in."

Cynder giggled, remembering some of the stories Spyro told her about Sparx and those creatures.

"Thank goodness frog weeds have a very slow digestive system."

"Mom," Sparx said, "tell Cynder about some of Spyro's more embarrassing moments."

"Sparx!" Spyro growled.

"Sparx, that is uncalled for," Nina said, "but I do have a few."

Cynder smiled, beckoning the female dragonfly to continue.

"Why?" Spyro sighed.

Sparx patted the purple dragon on the shoulder. "Because misery loves company."

"Let's see," Nina thought, "there was one time, when Spyro was very young, he sneezed and destroyed the nest."

Cynder laughed, imagining the scene. She glanced over to the current nest.

"So that means that you have had more than one home."

Flash chuckled, "Yes."

Cynder looked back at the two dragonflies, "Where did Spyro sleep? Surely he didn't just sleep outside."

Nina gasped, "Of course not, Flash built a little shelter for him."

Flash took over, "It was easy at first, but since Spyro grew so fast I had to keep on expanding it. Once he got old enough, he helped build a much larger one."

"Where is it?" Cynder asked, "is it still standing?"

The dragonfly couple nodded and flew behind the tree, beckoning Cynder to follow them.

"Where are they going?" Silver asked.

"Probably to show Cynder Spyro's bed," Sparx answered.

Spyro walked over to the group.

The shelter was underneath a large mushroom, although it was much smaller than the others. The edges had swamp vines draping from them, and sticks and logs were used as make-shift walls.

"It's looks small," Cynder commented.

"Well," said Nina, "he was a small dragon at one point, but back then he was a big dragonfly."

Spyro stood next to Cynder and looked over the shelter.

"Hard to believe it's been over four years since I slept here," Spyro stated, glancing at the black dragoness, "but you're right, it does look small now."

"You grew up, what else can you do?" Flash asked rhetorically.

The group of four returned to the front of the nest. Sparx motioned for the purple dragon, who made his way back over to the tree with the two dragonflies.

"What was that about?" Sparx asked.

"They were just showing Cynder the shelter I slept in," Spyro answered, laying on the ground.

"What was it like, having a dragon for a son?" Cynder asked.

Nina and Flash laughed together, "An experience."

Spyro heard them and lowered his head in embarrassment.

"But," Nina said, "regardless of him being a different species than us, he will always be our big, purple dragonfly."

Spyro smiled at the statement, still listening into the conversation.

"How exactly did you find Spyro's egg?" Cynder asked.

Spyro had told her about what he knew, but she wanted to know his parents' side of the story.

"Well," Flash began, "the two of us were out getting plants and fruit and had Sparx's egg with us. While we were by the Silver River, Sparx hatched."

Nina continued the story, "Just becoming parents was the best moment of our lives. However, a few minutes afterward I noticed something on the river bed. A big, purple egg. It was on the underside of a mushroom. We went to it and it began to move. The egg broke apart, giving us a glimpse of what was inside. That's when we found him."

Nina gestured towards Spyro who, in the middle of the story, began conversing with Sparx and Silver.

Flash picked up the story, "I was frightened at first, but something strange happened. Sparx drifted to Spyro, not able to fly yet, and laid on Spyro's nose. Nina and I were scared as to what would happen next, but at that moment I can only guess that the two connected. Almost like Sparx chose Spyro to be his brother."

Nina took over, "We took him in and gave him his name 'Spyro'."

Cynder smiled at the story. She felt closure, knowing the true origin of the love of her life. The black dragoness looked over to her purple dragon, still talking with the two dragonflies. Her early life wasn't as interesting as his, but she still wouldn't mind telling it.

Spyro and Cynder spent most of the day with Spyro's adopted family. The two lovers had a nice time as Spyro and his family showed her around the swamp, and Spyro took her to some of the places spent his childhood. Nina and Flash shared more stories, both happy and embarrassing, about Spyro. Every embarrassing story made the black dragoness laugh.

After the day was done Spyro and Cynder said their good-byes and left for the temple.

They arrived at the temple at dark and made their way inside the front entrance leading into the main corridor. They were met with Volteer laying down across the hall in between the students' corridor and Guardians' corridor.

"Welcome back, Spyro and Cynder."

"Hey, Volteer," Spyro said, "is everybody heading to bed?"

The Electric Guardian nodded, "Yes, I made it my responsibility to make sure you two made it back."

"Thank you, Volteer," Cynder said as the couple started to their rooms for the night.

"Spyro," Volteer said, getting the purple dragon's attention, "may I have a quick word please?"

Spyro nodded and turned to Cynder, "I'll catch up."

Cynder smiled and walked to the student's corridor, making the door open automatically. As the black dragoness got farther away, the door closed, leaving the Electric Guardian and the purple dragon by themselves.

"So, what do you need, Volteer?"

The yellow dragon gently scratched the stone surface, trying to find the right words.

"I just wanted to say, thank you."

Spyro raised a brow, confused, "For what?"

Volteer looked at the purple dragon with a smile, "For giving me your advice with Flare."

Confusion left Spyro's face, replaced with realization.

Volteer continued, "If not for you, or Incendia, the relationship that Flare and I have may not exist."

Spyro smiled, "I told you she liked you didn't I?"

Volteer smiled back, "Yes you did. Are you going to make some witty insult?"

Spyro chuckled, "I'm not Cyril. I only ask that you make her happy."

"Then I will ask the same to you about Cynder." Spyro laughed, making the Guardian raise a brow. "What is so funny?"

"Well, several weeks ago, we were loners who thought we would never meet that special dragoness. Now look at us."

The statement made Volteer chuckle as well, "Indeed. Now, I kept you from Cynder long enough."

Spyro smiled and started for the students' corridor.

When the door opened, Volteer spoke, "Happy Hatchday, Spyro." When Spyro turned to look at the Electric Guardian, Volteer continued, "And we all left you little gifts for you in your room."

Spyro gave him a nod before continuing on, the door closing behind him.

Cynder was waiting for him at the door to his room.

"What took you so long?" she asked.

"We just had a small conversation, and he said Happy Hatchday. He also mentioned gifts in my room."

Spyro opened the door and saw the gifts Volteer mentioned on top of his bed. The purple dragon made his way over to the other side of the room, not noticing the black dragoness leave.

He began to go through his presents. Guardians had given him books for all his elements. Blaze and Glacia gave him a fire dragon helmet, and an ice dragon helmet respectively. Volt and Electra gave him a bag of gold pieces to do whatever he wished. Spyro smiled, as a note inside the bag said that they had no idea on what to get him. Gaia and Terrain gave him a tablet carved with his name, similar to the one they gave Blaze, but instead they included the four Primary elements.

The purple dragon noticed that the tablet was slightly more detailed than the one Blaze had. _They must have been practicing_, he thought amazed that the earth couple's talent.

"It's nice that everyone got you something," Cynder said, standing in the doorway, with a small, black box in her paw.

Spyro glanced at Cynder, "Yeah, it was nice of them. Terrain and Gaia made a new tablet."

"Really?" Cynder asked, walking over to her lover. When she was next to him, she sat on her haunches, and looked over the tablet. "They have an amazing talent," she complemented.

Spyro nodded, "They do, and I can't wait to see what they will be making in the future."

"Maybe full sized sculptures of everyone," Cynder suggested, with a small giggle.

Spyro lightly chuckled, "Who knows? Maybe they will."

The black dragoness smiled, "I have something for you." Cynder gave the dragon the black box, "Happy Hatchday, Spyro."

Spyro grasped the gift and opened it, revealing a silver necklace with a medallion, which was also made of silver. The medallion was colored black and was in the shape of the fire element symbol.

"Wow," Spyro whispered, examining the piece of jewelry.

While he was examining it the black dragoness spoke, "It's the combination of both our favorite elements."

The purple dragon took the necklace out of its box, finding were the two ends of the silver chain met. Once he found them, Spyro disconnected the chain to put the necklace on. After some fiddling the chain clasped together again. The cold metal touching his chest was a new feeling for him.

"Do you like it?" Cynder asked, hoping he would say yes.

A smiled crept on his face and pressed his lips against hers, as an answer. The dragoness returned the kiss with equal passion. Heat rose to Cynder's cheeks and her heartbeat quickened, as she felt Spyro's tongue press against her teeth, asking to enter. She complied, allowing their tongues to dance between their lips.

After a moment, they separated for air, and Spyro nuzzled her cheek with his own, "I love it."

Spyro and Cynder moved his gifts off of his bed, placing the books on his bookcase. The helmets and bag of gold coins were set inside a chest that sat next to the dragon's mirror.

"What about the tablet?" Cynder asked.

"I'll just set it next to the bookcase," Spyro replied, "I'll find a better place for it later.

Spyro picked of the tablet with a bit of effort, and laid it against the wall, next to the bookcase.

The two dragons laid on Spyro's bed, snuggling into each other. Soon they fell asleep, with Spyro's only last thoughts of the best hatchday he's ever had.

* * *

A few weeks passed since Spyro's hatchday, and he continued to wear the necklace Cynder had given him. In fact, he rarely took it off.

Spyro and Cynder were laying under a familiar tree in the park. The same tree Spyro had fled to on the day the group got ready for the Warfang Ball. Spyro laid on his back while Cynder laid on top of him, nuzzling her head into the purple dragon's neck. Spyro had both of his forelegs wrapped around her.

It seemed like a normal outing for the couple, but Spyro had bigger plans, which were making him a little on edge.

"So what now?" asked the black dragoness. She lifted her head off his chest, waiting for an answer.

"What would you like to do?" he replied, looking into her emerald eyes.

She shrugged and lifted his necklace with her paw. "This does look good on you," she said with a smile.

"Was I not good looking before?" Spyro asked, trying to put on a hurt face, but let a smirk appear.

Cynder leaned in and stole a kiss from him, "You know what I mean," she said, pulling away. She looked in the direction of the setting sun. "We should probably head back to the temple."

Spyro nodded in agreement as she got off of him. They both leapt into the air, flapped their wings, and flew off to the temple.

As they flew, Cynder had to ask, "Spyro? Are you okay? You seem distracted about something, all day actually."

The purple dragon had the smallest of smiles, "You're right. I'll tell you at the temple."

Within minutes they had arrived at the front door that led to the main corridor.

"So what's been bothering you?" Cynder asked.

Spyro walked in front of the door ready to explain himself. "Okay, follow me."

The door opened and the couple walked in. Strangely, it was pitch black.

"Why is it so dark in here?" She asked.

"There's a reason," he said.

"And what is it?"

Suddenly all the torches in the room light up revealing the temple residents, along with Gaia, Electra, and even Terrador's mate, Emera, and son, Boldor. With the earth dragon family was an earth dragoness, Terra, the same dragoness Boldor met at the Warfang Ball.

Next to Cyril was Aurora, the ice dragoness he had been seeing for a few years. She was the dragoness he was with at the Warfang Ball.

"Happy Hatchday, Cynder!" they all shouted.

Cynder was in shock. Tables were set up with various foods and drinks, wrapped gifts rested on a smaller table by itself, and even a banner was held up saying 'Happy 20th Cynder.' The writing on the banner was obviously Volteer's.

She turned to Spyro, "You planned this?"

Spyro could only answer with a toothy grin, and nodded.

"How?"

Spyro shrugged, "I simply asked when your hatchday was. Then told everyone about setting up your surprise."

"So that's why we have been gone most of the day."

Spyro nodded again.

The dragoness couldn't hold her happiness any longer, and leapt onto Spyro causing him to fall on his back. Cynder pressed her lips against his, and he returned the kiss.

After a moment, Ignitus let out a forced cough, ending their kiss. Cynder and Spyro stood up with blushes realizing they were in a make out session in front of everyone.

"Now, let us celebrate another hatchday."

"What do you want to start with, Cynder?" Spyro asked.

* * *

"Present time," Blaze announced as everyone gathered around the small table.

Cynder walked over and looked over the mass of gifts. She was on one side of the table, and everyone else was on the other.

"What do I start with?" she asked out loud.

"Just pick one," Glacia replied.

Cynder went for a small royal blue box. She opened it to see a necklace with a blue crystal attached to it.

Cyril spoke, "That is an ice crystal from my home. Crystals like this were worn by the great ice dragons of yore, my ancestors."

"Wow," Cynder said, examining the necklace.

The others silently moaned at the Ice Guardian's 'royal pride,' while Aurora smiled at the response the others gave her dragon.

"It's beautiful, thank you," Cynder thanked.

Cyril gave a nod in response.

The black dragoness moved on to a large brown box. Cynder opened the container to see the contents, a shadow dragoness armor set. The set consisted of a silver helmet and silver body armor that would cover her chest, back, sides, and her tail base. Each piece of armor had black trim.

"Happy Hatchday, Cynder," Terrador spoke with a smile. "It's a little large now, but you will grow into it."

The dragoness looked up at Terrador's family and Terra, who was pressed against Boldor.

"Thank you."

Cynder moved on to a small box, wrapped in a blue wrapper. She tore the covering off and opened the box, revealing a polish set to for her jewelry.

Glacia smiled, "I figured you could use it. Your jewelry is too nice to let them get dirty."

Cynder touched her choker with a smile. She glanced at her friend, "Thank you, Glacia."

The next gift she pulled was a large box which held the contents. Cynder opened the box and saw a chest big enough to hold any valuables she would have, like jewelry.

"Happy Hatchday, Cynder," Incendia said, sitting with her mate. "You can store whatever you want in that."

The black dragoness smiled, "Thank you."

Next was a black wrapper surrounding a small, square object. Cynder removed the wrapping finding a book titled, "A Tale of Two."

"A Tale of Two?" Cynder read.

Electra nodded, "It's a romance novel by one of our favorite authors."

Volt gave a smiling nod in agreement, "You'll love it!"

Cynder smiled, "I can't wait to see what it's about."

The next gift she decided to open was a brown box. The black dragoness tried to pick it up, but it was heavier than she thought. She smiled, knowing what it was and who it was from. Cynder pulled the box closer to her and opened the box. Within the box was a cloth that protected the object. Cynder pulled the object out of the box and gently placed it next to its container.

She then unwrapped the cloth, confirming her guess. It was a tablet with her name carved into it. On the four corners were the element symbols for all the Secondary elements. She would have to compare it to Blaze's and Spyro's, but she swore that it was more detailed than theirs.

As she ran her paw across the tablet, Gaia and Terrain spoke, "Happy Hatchday, Cynder."

Cynder looked up at the two earth dragons with a smile, "This is incredible, thank you."

Cynder went for the last gift on the table, the yellow wrapped gift. She opened it to find out its contents. It was small statue made of crystal, and it looked similar to herself.

"Happy hatchday, Cynder," said Volteer, with Flare leaning against him.

"It's beautiful," she said, examining the crystal dragon.

"It is made of a special elemental crystal. Breath any one of you elements on it."

She did as she was told and breathed a stream of shadow on it. The crystal statue turned from clear to black. Her first reaction was one of surprise, but soon was replaced with a smile. She breathed a stream of wind, which turned the black crystal to a smooth grey color. She eventually used her other elements, poison turned the crystal green, and fear turned it red. Cynder walked around the table and over to Volteer. Flare leaned off of him, and Cynder gave the Guardian a hug.

"Thank you, Volteer," the black dragoness said, "it's wonderful."

Volteer smiled, "You're very welcome."

Cynder stepped away and a thought hit her, but Blaze blurted it out, "Hey Spyro, where's your gift?"

Spyro smiled, "I have it. I just wanted to give it to her in private."

Now Cynder was curious. _What could it possibly b_e? she thought to herself. "Is now a good time?" she asked him.

Spyro answered her with a nod of his head.

She turned to face everyone else. Cynder took a glance at the gifts she received, smiling at the thoughts that went into each one.

She looked at the others again and spoke, "Thank you all so much. It's been a very long time since something like this happened." She was fighting back tears, "And… all of you made it so wonderful I…" she sniffed.

Spyro walked over to the black dragoness and nuzzled her cheek to calm her. She relaxed at the contact, and nuzzled him back.

Volteer spoke, "You're welcome, Cynder. Now, you two head off so Spyro can give his secret gift, we will clean up."

Both dragons thanked everyone and headed off with Spyro leading the way toward their rooms.

"She is going to be one happy dragoness," said Incendia.

Ignitus nodded, "Yes, I'm surprised Spyro thought that far ahead, getting that gift."

His mate smiled and nuzzled her snout against his and whispered, "That's because they're meant for each other."

* * *

Spyro stopped them in front of her room, "I need to get it, just stay in your room until I get back."

The black dragoness nodded and walked in her room and laid on her bed, feeling anxious. Her thoughts were jumbled, _Why does Spyro want to give me his gift in private? What is it?_

Spyro reappeared as he walked in her room. He set down a relatively small, silver colored chest and closed the door. He picked the chest back up and cradled it with his left foreleg and walked over to her. He put down the chest on the bed and hopped on with her.

"Here it is," he declared, "Open it."

Cynder pulled the chest toward her. She took a glance at Spyro as if to ask it she could open it.

He gave her a nod.

She pulled open the chest and let out a gasp. Inside was a set of silver bracers, two for her forelegs, one for her tail, and a choker. The design was similar to her iron ones, but the major difference was the emerald in the middle of the choker.

That was when it struck her, "Isn't this the set we found at that jewelry shop we went to on our first date?"

Spyro smiled and nodded.

As she examined each bracer she didn't say a word, and this was making Spyro a bit nervous. "Do you…uh…" he started, "Do you like them?"

Cynder faced him with tears running down her cheeks, "You didn't have to get these. They're too much."

Spyro moved closer to her and wrapped his wings around her.

"I got them because I love you. I don't care how much they cost. All that matters to me is that you're happy."

Cynder looked at her lover with a touched smile.

He smiled back and asked, "Do you like them?"

She nodded, "I love them."

"I figured that you would want something new."

Cynder touched the iron choker she was currently wearing.

"I never did tell how I got this set, did I?"

Spyro raised a brow, and look up in thought. "No, I don't think you did."

Cynder spoke, "These were made and given to me from my mother and father."

Spyro felt slight guilt, "I never knew that. If you don't want to wear them that's fi-"

Cynder cut him off, "But I do want to wear them. Just like you will always have me," she gestured to his necklace she gave him, "I will always have you."

The dragoness took off the iron bracers on her forelegs and put on the new silver ones. When she reached for the tail ring, Spyro removed it for her and put on the new, silver ring. Cynder removed the choker and gave it a final glance before placing it in the chest with the rest of the set. She attached the choker on her neck, took the chest, and placed it next to her mirror.

As she turned to go back to her bed, the mirror caught a glimpse of the black dragoness. The owner of the reflection paused her walk to examine her new jewelry.

"They're beautiful," she said.

"Only because they are being worn by a beautiful dragoness," Spyro replied.

Cynder smiled and walked over to the bed and laid down next to her lover.

"Stay for the night?" she asked.

He smiled back, "If that is what makes you happy."

Cynder turned over to the lit candle and used her wind ability to blow it out. She turned back to Spyro and snuggled against him.

Spyro wrapped his forelegs around her and pulled her close, "Happy 20th Hatchday, Cyn," he whispered, "I love you."

Sleep was calling her name, but she replied just before it took her, "I love you too, Spy."


	18. Reunion

Chapter 18: Reunion

Volteer made his way through the streets of Warfang to reach his intended destination. The streets were somewhat busy, being just passed lunchtime, but the Guardian managed to make his way to a building. The sign that hung over the door read 'Mail' with breezes of air carved around the word.

It had been a few weeks since Cynder's hatchday, and life went on for the temple residents. The students continued training with their instructors.

Volteer walked up to the door, opened it, causing a bell sound, and entered.

Across from the entrance was a grey, wind dragon. His underbelly and wings were a lighter shade of grey. His horns were the same light grey color and were smooth, not jagged like the Guardian's. The dragon's eyes were dark blue.

The bell brought the dragon's attention to the door and saw Volteer, smiling when he saw the Guardian, "Volteer, how are you today, my friend?"

"I am fine, Zephyr. How about you?"

"Good. I assume that you are here for the temple's mail?"

"Yes I am."

"Give me one second," Zephyr made his way to the back. After a few minutes he returned, "Here you go," he said giving the Guardian a few envelopes, "not too much this time around."

"Thank you," Volteer said, placing the items into his satchel. When the mail was secure he asked, "Is there anything new with you?"

Zephyr chuckled, "Well, my daughter is doing very well in school. I'm not one to brag, but she has a talent with the wind element. I can see her doing races."

"Not much into mailing?"

"No," Zephyr shook his head, "She is more like her mother, she enjoys the thrills in life. Me? I like to take my time to see the realms."

"What does that mean?" Volteer asked, "all you do is sit here and organize the letters or packages that come in."

"What?" the wind dragon raised a brow, "you think I don't go out there every once in a while?"

"I come get the mail, and you are the only one that I see."

"Would you really want to see anyone else?"

"I suppose not," Volteer replied, chuckling.

"How are your three students doing?"

"Spyro is doing very well. And Volt is doing fantastic, I believe that he will be ready for the Guardian title in less than two years at our current rate."

"You've trained him for a little over a year, right?" Zephyr's answer, making Volteer nod. "How about the new student? That Cynder dragoness you mentioned a while ago."

The Electric Guardian shifted slightly, "I believe Cynder is doing just fine, however, I do have my concerns. All of which have nothing to do with her."

Zephyr raised a brow, but continued to listen.

"I'm not sure if my teaching methods are helping her. She has shown much skill, in my point of view at least. But considering I only know from what I have read in books, I can't give a proper judgement."

Zephyr nodded, "I see, so your concern is not her skills, it's your teaching that you are worried about."

Volteer nodded his head.

The wind dragon then laughed, completely confusing the Guardian.

After a moment of laughter Zephyr spoke, "The answer is obvious, have her spar with someone."

"She already does," Volteer answered, "she spars with Glacia."

"And what? You don't watch her?"

Volteer slapped his paw against his face as the obvious fact hit him.

Zephyr looked at the Guardian with a smirk, "I do believe that you found your solution. Just watch her and evaluate her. The student's skills can sometimes give people a glimpse on the instructor's."

Volteer smiled, "You're right."

"I have my moments."

"Well, I should be off, I have to get back and give this mail to everyone. Thank you for the talk."

"You're welcome. Have a nice day," Zephyr said.

"You too," Volteer replied, walking out of the building.

The Electric Guardian made his way back to the temple from the mailing building. He was usually chosen for this task because he had proven to be the most efficient.

As he walked back to the temple, Volteer thought about what Zephyr had said.

_It would be best to talk to Cyril about when he usually has Glacia and Cynder spar,_ Volteer thought.

With the Electric Guardian by himself, he continued to think about Cynder's training.

* * *

"This is it?" asked a shadow dragoness to her mate.

"Yes, this is the temple," replied the dragon, he too was a shadow dragon. He stepped forward and hit the door a few times with his paw.

"You could have just knocked you know," the dragoness said.

"With a door this size?" he retorted back.

She shook her head, "I just hope we will find-" she was interrupted by a voice behind them.

"Hello."

The pair turned around to see a yellow dragon with a satchel.

"Who are you?" the female asked curiously.

"My name is Volteer," Volteer answered, "Guardian of Electricity."

Both shadow dragon's eyes widened slightly.

The Guardian smiled, "How may I be of assistance?"

The shadow dragoness spoke, "We are looking for someone, and we heard that she was here."

"Who are you looking for?"

* * *

"Three out of five?" asked Spyro waiting for his opponent's response.

Glacia shook her head, "How are you so good at this? Ice is my element."

Spyro had, once again, beaten Glacia at ice shard target practice.

Spyro shrugged, "I had a lot of free time." Blaze gave him a glare, waiting for him to continue, "While you and the others would go on dates, I would be alone and have nothing to do."

Glacia and Blaze glanced at each other. Spyro did have a point, while they and the others went out Spyro would train.

"So does this mean that your training is going to slow down?" asked Cynder playfully.

"Of course not, Cynder," He said with a smirk, "we still have to have an official match to see who is stronger. But I still wouldn't mind us going out. You are everything to me, you have made me that happiest dragon in the realms." He stepped forward and touched his forehead with hers, "I love you, Cyn."

Cynder smiled at her dragon's words, "I was only playing, but that means a lot. I love you too, Spy."

"You have pet names?" asked Blaze.

The couple turned to the fire dragon, "Yes," Spyro spoke up, "but we only say them a little bit so that they're always special."

"Cynder!" called a voice.

The group turned to the entrance of the training room to see Volteer.

He looked like his usual self, but his eyes were lit up with joy. "Go to the main corridor, there are dragons here to see you." He left before she could ask who it was.

"I wonder who it could be," Cynder stated as she walked out of the training room. Spyro walked behind her.

"Are you expecting someone?" Spyro asked her.

She shook her head, "I don't know many dragons outside the temple."

They walked up to the door that lead to the main corridor. "Let's see who it is," stated Spyro as the door opened.

In the middle of the main corridor were two black dragons, they were obviously shadow dragons. Spyro assumed that they were mates. The dragon was slightly taller than the dragoness by a head. His underbelly and wing membranes were a dark shade of red. He had two black horns that curved back a little. He had light blue eyes. The dragoness' underbelly and wings were a slightly lighter black than her body. She had six white horns that looked like Cynder's. Her eyes were even the same emerald color as Cynder's. What shocked Spyro the most was the familiar, but slightly different, symbols on her forehead, lower back, and shoulders.

Cynder looked at the dragons, and vice-versa. Cynder took a step forward with tears forming in her eyes.

"M… Mom? Dad?"

The dragons were also teary eyed.

The female spoke, "Y… Yes dear… it's us."

Not a second later Cynder ran as fast as she could, "MOM! DAD!" She embraced her long lost parents with her wings and forelegs, and nuzzled her head in between theirs.

"Cynder," the male said, returning the nuzzle, "we found you."

Spyro stayed where he was. At first he was surprised, but a smile crept on his lips seeing his lover reunited with her family.

Cynder broke the embrace and her parents scanned her body.

Her mother spoke with a shaky voice, "You're all grown up."

Her father nodded, "You're as beautiful as your mother." He received a nuzzle from his mate. Cynder blushed a bit. "I bet you have all the dragons trying to court you."

The family laughed together.

Cynder shook her head, "Actually, I already have someone."

The parents were curious, "Who?"

Cynder looked over at Spyro who took it as a sign to come forward.

"Is that a purple dragon?" asked her mother, "The second purple dragon?"

"Yes, I am," Spyro answered, as he stopped in front of the shadow dragon family.

Realization hit Cynder's mother, "Is he the one?" she asked.

Cynder nodded, "Yes, he is."

Both Cynder and Spyro were unsure if it was appropriate to show affection in front Cynder's parents.

"So, you're the one who stole Cynder's heart," Cynder's mother said, with a light smile.

Spyro blushed, "Honestly, she stole mine."

The two shadow dragons laughed at the purple dragon's embarrassment.

Cynder's father was the one who spoke, "If our daughter chose to be with you, then that is perfectly fine with us."

Cynder's mother nodded in agreement.

Feeling relaxed, Cynder walked next to Spyro and nuzzled his cheek with hers making Spyro blush again, but he nuzzled her back.

The parents could only smile at the couple.

When they broke apart Spyro spoke, "My name is Spyro."

"My name is Umbra, and this is my mate, Shadow," Umbra said.

Shadow gave a nod to the purple dragon.

"I never heard of the name 'Spyro' before," Umbra commented.

"I wouldn't expect you to. It was given to me by dragonflies."

"Dragonflies?" asked Umbra and Shadow in unison.

"Well, I assume that you know about the temple incident that happened twenty years ago?"

"Yes," answered Umbra, "Eggs were moved to safety. After the dragons brought down those apes all eggs were accounted for, all but a purple…" Her sentence trailed off. She looked at Spyro, "It was you. You were that egg."

Spyro nodded, "Yes, Ignitus is the one who let my egg flow down the Silver River. There was no time to take my egg to proper safety. I was eventually hatched in a family of dragonflies, and they named me Spyro. I grew up with them and their son, Sparx." Spyro continued on explaining his life, the shorter version; the day he breathed fire, Ignitus meeting them, and going to Warfang to train in the elements.

"That's quite the story," Shadow commented.

Spyro nodded in response, but something in the back of his head was nagging at him.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Umbra answered.

"Did you know the parents of the purple egg? My egg?"

Umbra gave him a sad look, "I'm sorry, but no. We kept Cynder as an egg, so we did not go to the temple."

Spyro nodded knowingly. It was a stretch, but he was happy to get an answer.

"Thank you," he said.

Umbra gave him a small smile.

"I also have a serious question," Cynder stated facing her parents, "Where have you been for the past three years?"

Umbra and Shadow glanced at each other, slight sadness in their eyes.

"Why was I alone for a year?!" Cynder accidently shouted.

"Cynder, calm down," Spyro said.

Cynder covered her mouth with a paw, surprised at her actions.

"I'm sorry, Spyro. I just want to know."

Spyro pressed his forehead against hers, with his eyes closed, "It's okay. They're here now."

Cynder closed her eyes smiling, feeling the comfort the purple dragon provided.

"Just like us, when we were younger," Shadow commented, earning a nod from his mate.

The young couple pulled apart and gave their attention to Cynder's parents.

Umbra took a deep breath and spoke, "The day we left, we were doing our errands. We had to go to a village farther away to get supplies for us. It wasn't much. We were on our way back, when a storm hit."

Shadow took over, "We tried to find shelter, but before we could, we got stuck in the heart of the storm, and lost consciousness. Hours later we woke up in a cave with two other dragons, they both were wind dragons. They rescued us."

"What took so long?" Cynder asked.

Umbra answered her daughter, "The dragons only had enough red gems to heal our more endangering wounds, but," she looked at her mate, "your father's wings were crippled."

Cynder and Spyro scanned the mentioned dragon's wings, only to see them in perfect condition.

"So," Spyro began, "eventually you found more."

Shadow nodded, "It takes time for gems to grow back, but where we were, there were not that many."

"Your father would not take a single gem, until I was healed. The idiot."

The young couple smiled, holding back snickers.

Shadow smiled and continued, "Luckily they knew a healer, a poison dragon, who helped fix my wings, but since the gems went to Umbra, I had to heal the old fashion way. At least until we found more red gems."

"After several months, Shadow was almost healed, and we finally found the gems we needed to fix him up. Now we just had to get him to get used to flying again. And let me tell you, it was like watching a hatchling again."

Cynder and Spyro laughed at the dragoness's comment, even Shadow chuckled.

"I was quite embarrassed. A full grown and proud shadow dragon, defeated at a task that hatchlings can pick up."

"This took several weeks, but he finally was back to his old self," Umbra said, rubbing her cheek against Shadow's. She pulled away and continued, "However, our caretakers did not know where our home was, so we had to travel around."

Shadow looked at her daughter, "By the time we had returned home, you had already began traveling with the purple dragon, Malefor. We took care of everything at home, and began searching for you, over a year of searching. But we eventually got a hint that Malefor had been in Warfang, and that is what got us here."

Umbra sniffed as hot tears fell down her cheeks, "After so long, we had finally found our little girl."

Cynder smiled, with tears in her own eyes, "Not so little any more, mom." Cynder left Spyro's side and nuzzled her mother.

"I know, but you will always be my little Cyndie."

Cynder smiled at the old nickname her mother had given her went she was young.

Cynder pulled away and looked at the two shadow dragons. "Despite everything that happened, I would not change a single thing. Because, I probably would have never met Malefor. I probably would not be able to use my elements at the fullest of my abilities." She paused, and looked at Spyro with a warm smile, "I probably would not have met the greatest dragon in my life."

Spyro lowered his head in embarrassment, a blush on his face.

"How did you two meet?" Shadow asked.

Cynder answered, "Malefor decided to come to Warfang, and sent a message to the Guardians of his visit. He decided to not tell them about me just yet. We arrived at the temple and walked into this very corridor." The Cynder walked back to Spyro's side, nuzzling his cheek. "And that's when I met Spyro."

Umbra spoke, "Well, I must ask. How did you two become a couple?"

The two dragons blushed, making the shadow pair laugh.

"We're not trying to embarrass you, I'm just curious."

* * *

"So, nothing in the mail for me?" the Ice Guardian asked, going through the letters the Electric Guardian gave him.

"No. Are you expecting something of importance?" Volteer asked.

Cyril shook his head, "No, just making sure."

"Do you doubt my ability to handle the temple's mail?"

"I doubt many things about you lightning tongue, but organization certainly isn't one of them."

Volteer wasn't sure if the statement was a common insult or a Cyril compliment.

"Thanks," the Electric Guardian replied, rolling his eyes, "but I have a request."

Cyril raised a brow, "And that is?"

"How is Cynder doing in her sparring matches with Glacia?"

"Wonderful. Having her spar with Glacia has helped Glacia combine her ice abilities with her melee combat very well. Why do you ask?"

Volteer struggled to fit his concerns together.

Cyril rolled his eyes, "You're doubting your teaching methods aren't you."

The yellow dragon was surprised, "Am I that easy to read?"

Cyril shrugged, "Not really, I've just known you for a long time. Too long in my opinion."

Volteer shook his head, finding the ceiling more interesting.

"But, whatever you are doing, it's working."

"Thank you for the reassurance."

The ice dragon nodded, "So have you spoken to the others about Cynder's parents' arrival?"

Volteer shook his head, "No, you are the first one I ran into. Her mother and father were what was on my mind."

"Very well. I will talk to everyone, you just make them comfortable. Try not to talk too much."

Volteer sighed, "I'm much better about that."

"Still could use some improvement," Cyril replied, walking away to find the other Guardians.

The Electric Guardian shook his head again, making his way back to the main corridor.

* * *

"And Spyro took me to a diner in Warfang, it was wonderful," Cynder said, rubbing her cheek against Spyro's.

The two lovers were growing comfortable about showing affection in front of Cynder's parents, after the older dragons assuring them it was perfectly fine. The purple dragon seemed to grow on Umbra and Shadow, they began to see him as the perfect match for their daughter.

Something that Umbra noticed was Cynder's jewelry. It looked similar, but the emerald in the middle of her choker was the giveaway that it was not the same jewelry that she and Shadow had given her.

Before she could bring it up, the door to the Guardians' corridor opened, revealing Volteer.

The Guardian quickly realized that he may have interrupted something. "Am I intruding?" he asked politely.

"No," Shadow said, "we were all just talking."

"Good. Is everything right in the realms with the family?"

Umbra smiled, "Right as rain. Thank you for your help."

Volteer chuckled, "I only opened the door and told Cynder to see you."

"All the more reason to thank you," Shadow said. "Cynder tells us that you are the one overseeing her training."

Volteer grew a little nervous, "Yes, well, Malefor started her training. I only took over."

Umbra spoke, "With your Guardian status, you must be an excellent teacher."

"He is," Cynder said, "I've learned so much from him."

Spyro nodded in agreement, "The things he has taught me are amazing."

Volteer felt comfort at the two dragons' reassurance. At times like this, he wished his self-confidence was higher.

An idea popped in his head. He looked at Shadow and Umbra, "Would you like to see?"

The other four dragons were slightly confused.

"How?" Spyro asked.

The Electric Guardian smiled, "How would you and Cynder like to spar?"

Spyro and Cynder exchanged glances, with Cynder smirking.

"Remember during dinner on our first date?" she asked, giving Spyro a wink, causing him to smile, "ready to settle the score?"

Spyro chuckled, "The last time we sparred was when Malefor was in Warfang. It's been so long."

Cynder kept her smirk, "All the more reason to settle things."

"Good," Volteer said, "let us head to the training room."

* * *

"I must admit, the temple is bigger than I thought," Shadow said.

"We get that a lot from visitors," Volteer replied.

The training room was empty, and Spyro and Cynder were inside the ring ready for their match.

"Ready Spyro?" Cynder asked.

"One second," Spyro said.

The purple dragon sat on his haunches and brought his paws to the back of his head. He wanted to remove the necklace Cynder had given him for his hatchday so that it didn't fall off during the match. After messing with the trinket, he removed it from his neck. Spyro quickly made his way to the Electric Guardian.

"Could you hold on to this for me, Volteer?" Spyro asked.

"Of course," the Guardian replied, taking the necklace from the purple dragon and placing it in his satchel.

Spyro made his way back to the ring.

Volteer spoke, "The rules are simple; the match ends if one fighter lands outside the ring, is pinned, or admits defeat. Any and all elemental attacks are allowed, with the exception of lethal attacks. I will step in only if the situation requires it. Do you both understand?"

"Yes," Spyro and Cynder said in unison.

"Ready?"

The two dragons got into their respective fighting stances. Spyro's legs were spread wide, ready to defend himself or make the first move. Cynder, however, favored a stance that put a little more weight on her back legs, preferring to have the speed advantage, courtesy to her wind element.

"And…" Volteer paused, making sure the two dragons had not tried to start yet. When he knew they had not moved, he continued, "begin!"

Cynder decided to surprise her opponent and charge in for an attack. The dragoness used the wind around her to propel her forward at a high speed. Spyro put weight on his back legs to block Cynder's attack, however, once Cynder was in front of him, she disappeared in a cloud of shadow. Spyro's eyes widened and looked frantically around for the dragoness, but she was nowhere to be found.

Suddenly, the purple dragon felt a sharp pain in his stomach, as he was lifted into the air by a force below him. Cynder had hid herself in Spyro's shadow and gave him the punch. Spyro used his wings to fly away from the dragoness, but she used her speed to catch him.

She threw a claw at the dragon, but he caught it and used his momentum to throw her back to the ground. Cynder landed gracefully but was forced to jump away from a lightning bolt coming from Spyro's maw. Cynder returned the favor by letting out a scream of fear at him. The sound caused Spyro to cover his ears and close his eyes in pain, landing back on the ground.

When the scream stopped, his ears continued to ring as he tried to refocus. Cynder came up to him to try another claw, but he formed an earth shield, using the stone tile beneath him. The dragoness' claw only bounced off of the stone, leaving her with an uncomfortable feeling in her paw. She rubbed her paw to ease the pain, not taking her eyes off of the sphere of earth.

The sphere began to move towards her. Cynder put up both paws to try to stop it, but it only moved her backwards. She jumped away and blew wind out of her maw at a high speed, but it did nothing. Before she knew it she was only steps away from the outside of the ring. She tried to come up with a solution. She stood her ground, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. Then she released a fear scream much bigger than the previous one. Large red waves escaped her maw and rushed at the rolling earth shield, and not only stopping it, but shattering it.

Spyro was sent flying back to the middle of the ring. Spyro slowly got back on his paws, but the ringing in his hears was almost unbearable. His eyes were red and blinking rapidly as he looked around as if he was afraid.

Shadow and Umbra were surprised.

"What was that?" Shadow asked.

Volteer answered, "That would be a Blaring Siren Scream. It is more powerful than the regular Siren Scream she initially used. The difference is; while the Siren Scream brings pain to the target's ears and can make them feel fear, the Blaring Siren Scream is much more powerful and almost guarantees that the target feels fear. Only fear dragons and very well trained dragons can fight off these effects."

Spyro began to breathe heavily as if trying to calm himself down, but he couldn't focus on his opponent.

Cynder used Spyro's confusion as an opportunity and ran up to him. As she ran, she channeled poison into her right set of claws, and clawed Spyro's side.

Spyro let out a painful yell, feeling his side burn. He knocked Cynder away with an Earth Shot.

"Isn't that poison a little lethal," Umbra asked, concerned for Spyro's wellbeing.

The Guardian shook his head, "Only when the poison is injected into the body is it lethal, what Cynder did is give Spyro a scratch that feels like it's on fire."

Spyro was in trouble. Cynder had hurt his ears, side, and his vision was still a little blurry, he was handicapped. He had to give Cynder credit, she went for his two most important senses and now he was struggling. Spyro ignored the pain in his side to calm himself, closed his eyes, and let his mind drift to a lesson he had with Terrador some time ago.

Cynder looked at Spyro to see if he would blindly retaliate, but he only stood where he was. With impaired hearing and sight, she knew she had a complete advantage, and she intended to use it.

She ran at Spyro, and all she had to do was grab him, use the wind to speed them to the edge of the ring, and throw him out. As she approached, she reached out with a paw to the purple dragon.

However, Spyro fell, belly on the ground, so that Cynder dove over him. The dragon used his head to hit her in the stomach, knocking the air out of her. He then used his tail to smack her away into the ground.

When Cynder regained her footing she was shocked. How did he know where she was? His eyes were closed. She knew that he would expect her to use her elements, but not a claw-to-claw melee. She rushed in again.

The purple dragon stood his ground, calm in his face.

When Cynder was close she went for a right claw, only to have Spyro grab it with his left paw. Shock returned to Cynder's face as she lifted her left paw to attack. As if knowing what she was doing, Spyro brought his open paw up and dropped it down. A small pillar rose from the ground and hit Cynder in the stomach. Cynder grunted and pushed off of the pillar, which then sank back into the ground.

Cynder was growing annoyed and ran back at the purple dragon. Spyro shot out an arc of lightning, making the black dragoness jump to dodge. She blew out a gust of wind, but controlled it to form a whirlwind. Spyro was sent spinning to the other side of the ring, using his wings to balance himself out. He then pushed himself out of the gust of wind, landing a bit roughly on the ground, his back to Cynder.

Spyro opened his eyes to see that his vision was almost back to normal, and the ringing in his ears was almost gone. He turned to face Cynder with squinting eyes.

Cynder prepared for one more attack, seeing Spyro doing the same thing. Spyro opened his eyes all the way, showing her that he had fully recovered. Both dragons centered themselves and both let in a breath. Cynder let out a stream of Shadow Fire, while Spyro let out a stream of fire. The black shadowy flames and the red-orange flames mixed together, and both dragons were hit by the attacks.

The two shadow dragons were in complete shock, with the Guardian also in surprise. The flames began to die down and the three bystanders saw two shadowy figures running at each other.

When to smoke cleared they saw Spyro and Cynder running towards each other. Spyro's right claw was covered in ice, while Cynder's was covered in poison. When the two dragons were within striking distance they both went for the attack. Spyro's attack delivered a hard blow, while Cynder's attack cut into Spyro's scales. Cynder was sent tumbling away, while Spyro was brought to the ground, holding his shoulder as the burning sensation took over.

The three older dragons were still in awe, but hoping that both dragons were going to be fine.

Spyro struggled to all four paws and glanced at the black dragoness. She was laying on her left side trying to move, but it looked like the blow had done its job. Spyro began to limp over to the dragoness, favoring his right front leg. As he got closer he started to charge electricity in his right claw, and soon he was looking down at Cynder.

Cynder, still on her left side, looked up at the purple dragon and saw him raising his paw. Slim streams of lightning moved around Spyro's paw, ready for use.

Cynder averted her gaze into the dragon's amethyst eyes with her own emerald ones, giving him a smile.

"I… surrender," Cynder admitted.

The purple dragon smiled and allowed the electricity in his paw to die down. As soon as the electricity faded he fell on his right side, next to Cynder, with a groan.

The Electric Guardian rushed over to the two dragons, followed closely by the shadow dragon couple.

When he was standing over them, Volteer spoke, "Are you two alright?"

Both dragons nodded in response, panting.

Spyro spoke, "Yeah, just… everything hurts, especially my side and shoulder.

Cynder nodded in agreement, putting a paw where Spyro's ice attack hit her.

"Let me get some gems for you," Volteer said, making his way to the storage compartments.

Umbra nuzzled her daughter, "You were amazing, dear."

Cynder smiled, "I've learned a lot."

She then leaned toward Spyro and rubbed her snout against his. The purple dragon closed his eyes enjoying the loving touch, almost forgetting the burning feeling in his side and shoulder.

"And here we are," Volteer said, giving Cynder a good sized gem.

The black dragoness smashed the gem, shattering it into pieces. The pieces flew into her scales, closing any cuts and scratches she may have. She felt relief when the pain in her side was gone.

Volteer gave Spyro his own red gem, where the purple dragon smashed it. Like with Cynder, the pieces flew into his body, healing his scratches from Cynder's poison attacks. When it was done Spyro stood up and rolled his left shoulder, making sure that the gem healed him properly.

When both dragons were healed and standing, Volteer showed Spyro his necklace, "I do believe that this is yours."

The purple dragon grabbed the trinket, "Thank you, Volteer." Spyro fiddled with the chain until it was secured around his neck.

Shadow spoke, "That was one amazing match." He looked at Volteer, "Did you teach her those techniques?"

Cynder answered for the Guardian, "Yes. While Malefor taught me the more upper level things about my elements, Volteer taught me how to manipulate them, like the Shadow Fire and covering my paw with poison."

Umbra spoke to Volteer, "You have to be one great teacher."

Volteer's face reddened with embarrassment, "Thank you, that means a lot." He looked at Cynder, "I was beginning to question if my training methods were even beneficial to her. This match proved that I'm doing is working."

Cynder gave the Guardian a smile, agreeing.

"I must say, Cynder," he continued, "your strategy was nearly flawless, taking Spyro's hearing and sight away. You would have won if it wasn't for one important factor."

Upon hearing this, Spyro smiled.

"What is that?" Cynder asked.

"What elements does Spyro have?" Volteer asked.

She was even more confused, "Fire, electricity, ice, and earth."

The Electric Guardian nodded, "Well, some earth dragons have an interesting ability. The ability to feel the vibrations in the earth. Even fighting blind, Spyro had an idea where you were."

Shocked, Cynder looked at Spyro for conformation, earning a nod.

Spyro said, "I didn't know exactly how you were going to attack, but I knew enough to throw you off."

"Where did you learn that," Umbra asked.

"Terrador taught it to his apprentice and me."

Shadow raised a brow, "What do you mean 'apprentice'?"

"Oh," Cynder said, "I didn't tell you about the others."


	19. Approval

Chapter 19: Approval

"I'm so happy for you, Cynder," Glacia said, as the two dragonesses walked through the market, the orange sky indicating the evening.

Each dragoness had a bag slung around their shoulder.

Cynder had told the ice dragoness the good news about her parents' arrival.

"It's wonderful. After so long, I have them back in my life."

"Why aren't you with them right now?" the ice apprentice questioned, "I'd imagine that you would spend the next week with them, non-stop."

The black dragoness smiled, "We spent the last several hours together, but they wanted to talk with Spyro."

"Oh, I see."

Cynder gave her friend a confused look, "See what?"

Glacia smiled, "They're going to see if Spyro is the right match for you. It's a parent thing. The girls and I had had to go through the same thing with the boys."

"They'll accept Spyro. When I introduced him as my dragon they seemed happy, and were fine with us being together."

"Then you have nothing to worry about," Glacia replied, "they just want to get to know him better."

The pair stopped in the middle of the market.

Glacia turned to Cynder, "I have to pick up a few things. Do you want to split up so that you can browse around?"

"Sure, I suppose," Cynder agreed, "Meet back here in a little while?"

Glacia gave her a nod and the two separated.

Cynder walked through the market, wondering what her mother and father would say about Spyro.

_I have nothing to worry about,_ she told herself, _they will see that Spyro is the perfect dragon that I know he is._

"Excuse me?" a voice interrupted her thoughts.

Cynder looked to her left and saw a yellow, electric dragoness. The dragoness had white underbelly, chest, and wing membranes, and her eyes were a bright purple. She had two large horns, with two smaller horns below, all of which were the same color as her chest and underbelly. The end of her tail was in the shape on an arrowhead.

"Yes?" Cynder asked.

"Do you happen to know anyone who lives in the temple?"

"I live in the temple, can I help you?"

The dragoness shifted slightly, "It's complicated," she paused, "do you know the purple dragon?"

"Malefor?" Cynder asked.

The dragoness shook her head, "No, the second purple dragon, the younger one."

"Spyro?" Cynder asked, earning a nod from the dragoness, "Yes."

The dragoness was silent for a moment, then turned and headed to an alley.

Confused, Cynder walked after her.

The dragoness stopped at the entrance of the alley, giving Cynder time to catch up. The alley lead to another street with more buildings.

Cynder saw a red dragon, making her assume that he was a fire dragon. His underbelly, chest and wing membranes were gold in color. His horns were also gold and were jagged, reminding Cynder of the shape of Spyro and Ignitus's horns. The end of his tail was in the shape of a spade, and was also gold in color. His eyes were a light brown.

"Dear," the dragoness spoke, gesturing to Cynder, "This dragoness lives in the temple, and knows… the purple dragon."

The fire dragon's eyes widened slightly, turning his attention to Cynder.

"May I ask why you are looking for Spyro?" Cynder asked.

The electric dragoness and fire dragon exchanged looks, almost as if communicating with their eyes. They brought their attention back to Cynder.

The dragoness spoke, "Well…"

* * *

Spyro made his way to the roof of the temple where Cynder's parents were waiting. The pair wanted to get to know Spyro more personally, but Spyro was still nervous. He approached to door to the roof and opened it. Shadow and Umbra were by the edge looking over the dragon city.

The pair turned their heads to see Spyro closing the door behind him.

"Hello, Spyro," Umbra greeted.

"Hello," Spyro replied, walking over to the two shadow dragons.

When he was near them, Spyro sat on his haunches as the two turned to face him.

"Nice, warm weather we are having," Shadow commented.

The purple dragon nodded in agreement and spoke, "Cynder told me that you wanted to talk with me."

Shadow nodded, "We wanted to get to know the dragon our daughter is spending so much time with."

Spyro tried to calm his nerves, but his heart rate sped up regardless, "So… what do you want to know?"

"Well," Umbra said, "how about rather than starting with your life story, let's start with some little things."

The shadow dragoness thought for a brief moment, however, only wanting to know Spyro's story came to mind. She looked at Spyro's necklace and decided on the topic.

"Where did you get that necklace? It's nice."

The purple dragon looked down at his chest, brought up a paw, and held the black fire element symbol.

"Cynder got it for me for my twentieth hatchday. She said that it was the combination of our favorite elements; fire and shadow."

The two dragons smiled at the purple dragon.

"Cynder's hatchday was not long ago," Shadow said, "What did you get her?"

Spyro smiled, nervousness leaving him, "Did you see the jewelry she is wearing?"

Both dragons nodded and Umbra spoke, "Yes. They were not the ones that we gave her years ago. The new ones are silver and the choker has an emerald in it." She smiled at Spyro, "You gave her those, didn't you?"

Spyro smiled, "Yes I did. When I showed them to her, Cynder explained it was you that made her iron set."

"Yes, I made them myself. I wanted to give her something nice."

Shadow intervened, "Only to hurt yourself in the process."

"Oh, yes I did," Umbra said, "you were a little upset when you found out."

Shadow looked to his mate, "You go off the make something nice for our daughter and not only do you not include me, but you hurt yourself."

Umbra gave her mate a kiss on the cheek, "You're right, I should have told you. Are you happy now?"

"Always."

The pair gave the purple dragon their attention again so he could continue.

"At first, when she told me you made her set, I told her she didn't have to wear them, but she insisted that she change the jewelry. She said that, since I will always have her," Spyro brought his paw back to his necklace, "she will always have me."

"That's sweet," Umbra said.

Spyro chuckled, "The story behind how I got the silver jewelry set is an interesting one."

"How so?" Shadow asked.

"Well, we were out on our first date looking around the different shops in the market. The last one we went to was a jewelry store. We went inside at split up for a bit. Later, I went over to her and saw her looking through the different jewelry sets, but one in particular caught her eye. And I think you can guess which one it was."

Both shadow dragons nodded, but it was Umbra that spoke, "The set she is now wearing."

Spyro nodded, "I managed to talk her into meeting me at the restaurant that we were going to go to, and placed an order for the set."

"I assume that there is more to the story," Shadow said.

"Yes," Spyro continued, "We had a nice talk and dinner. Then the bill came." Spyro scratched that back on his neck, embarrassed, "I was short on paying the bill and Cynder noticed and offered to help pay, but I refused at first." The purple dragon dropped his paw back to the ground and continued, "She talked some sense into me and I accepted the gold pieces she gave me."

"I think it's sweet," Umbra said, "You wanted to get her something nice. There is no shame in that."

Shadow nodded in agreement.

Spyro spoke again, gazing at the ground, "At the end of that day, that's when I knew."

"Knew what?" Umbra asked.

The purple dragon looked at both shadow dragons, with a smile and said, "I knew that, she was the dragoness I wanted to spend the rest of my life with."

There was a pause, the two mates exchanged glances. Thinking that he said something wrong, Spyro's smiled dropped and his eyes showed slight fear.

However, Shadow and Umbra gave each other smiles and looked back at the purple dragon.

Umbra said, "I can see why Cynder loves you so much."

Spyro stared at the two mates, who continued to smile at him.

Umbra spoke again, "She speaks very highly of you, and described you in great detail. In short, she said that you are the perfect dragon."

Spyro was surprised, "Cynder said that?"

Both dragons nodded with smiles.

"She said that there is no other dragon she would rather be with than with you."

Spyro lowered his head with a bright smile, thinking of the black dragoness.

Umbra stepped forward and placed a paw on the purple dragon's shoulder. "We would like to thank you for being there for her, and making her happy."

Spyro looked back at Umbra, "Does this mean that you're fine with Cynder and me being together?"

Umbra and Shadow gave out light laughs.

Shadow stepped forward, "Cynder is with you because she sees something in you that no other dragon has."

This confused the purple dragon, "Like what?"

Umbra smiled, "That is for you to ask Cynder yourself. You are a good dragon, and I would not mind calling you my son-in-law, preferably not too soon."

Spyro's eyes went wide, and heat rose to his face. "I… I… no, we're not…"

The two mates laughed at the purple dragon's embarrassment.

When the parents settled down and Spyro composed himself, Spyro decided to tell his story in greater detail.

* * *

Glacia walked out of the shop, her bag holding the items she purchased.

_Everything is in order_, she thought to herself, _I wonder if Cynder found anything interesting._

The ice dragoness made her way through the street where she was to meet back with the black dragoness. Glacia saw Cynder walking, her head down, as if deep in thought.

"Hey Cynder," Glacia said happily.

However, the ice dragoness saw that Cynder looked spaced out. The black dragoness seemed lost.

"Cynder," Glacia said again, more forcefully.

Cynder broke from her trance, "Oh, hey Glacia. Did you find everything that you needed?"

"Yep. Did you find anything interesting?"

Cynder shook her head, "No."

Glacia didn't notice the troubled tone in Cynder's voice.

"Are we ready to go back to the temple?"

Cynder nodded, "Let's go."

The dragonesses flapped their wings and took to the air.

Their flight was in silence, each keeping to their own thoughts. Glacia sighed as the cool air brushed against her scales, it made her more relaxed. She did not notice her friend's concerned look.

_A week_? the black dragoness thought to herself, _How do I even tell him about… _Cynder's thoughts trailed off.

In no time, the two dragonesses landed in front of the main entrance to the temple.

"Do you think that your parents are done talking with Spyro?" Glacia asked, breaking the silence.

Cynder shrugged, "I don't know, maybe."

The pair of dragonesses walked into the temple, in the main corridor.

"Do you think that they will like him?" Glacia asked, curiously looking at Cynder.

Cynder smiled, "I know they will."

Glacia smiled back, "Well, let me know how it goes. I'm off to my room."

"Okay, see you later."

The friends went their separate ways, for the time being.

Cynder made her way to the roof of the temple, hoping to catch her parents and Spyro there.

In a few minutes, she was in front of the door that would lead to the roof. She made a quick prayer that everything worked out and opened the door.

The sound of a door opening got the attention of the three dragons. Shadow and Umbra took their gaze off of Spyro and to the door, and Spyro turned around the see who it was.

Spyro took a step forward, "Hey, Cynder."

The black dragoness walked over to the group.

Once she was with the three dragons, she asked, "So, how is everything?"

"Just fine, "Shadow answered, "Spyro was telling us about his childhood a little bit. He also talked about your night together at the Warfang Ball."

"He is a wonderful dragon," Umbra said looking at Spyro.

Shadow spoke too, "He is everything you said he was, and more."

Cynder looked at Spyro, who was looking away from the family, embarrassed by the compliments.

Cynder stepped next to Spyro and rubbed her cheek against his, "I know."

Heat was still in the purple dragon's face, but rubbed her back nonetheless.


	20. The Next Stage

Chapter 20: The Next Stage

"It looks like it was a good idea to stop by to see Zephyr after all," Volteer said to himself, entering his room.

The Electric Guardian had just arrived from chatting with Zephyr, but the grey dragon had three letters for him. Now, the Guardian was in his room to see who each letter belongs to.

Volteer began to look through the letters, glancing at the names written on the envelopes.

"Cyril," he said, placing the letter on his nightstand, next to his bed. He continued to say the names of the owners out loud and place them in a pile, "Terrador, and Flare-" He took another look at the letter to make sure it was for Flare. Indeed it was, her name clearly on the envelope.

Before he could continue, the door to his room opened. He turned around and saw Flare standing in the door frame.

"Hey, Volteer," Flare said, taking a few steps toward him, "What are you doing?"

"Hello, Flare," he replied, "I'm just organizing the mail I received earlier."

The fire dragoness shifted slightly, "Well, can it wait?" she asked, "I need to talk to you. It's important."

This caught the Guardian's attention, "Is everything okay?" She nodded and Volteer took a glance at his nightstand. He smiled and walked over to her, nuzzling her snout with his own, "The mail can wait. What do you need to talk about?"

"Can we talk about it somewhere else?"

Volteer raised a brow, "Where would you like to go?"

"How about the garden?" the fire dragoness asked, stepping out of the room.

The Electric Guardian nodded and followed her out the door, closing it behind him.

As the pair walked through the temple, Volteer stole a glance at the dragoness. She had a small smile on her face, but her eyes showed a hint of anticipation. He could not think as to why, but, as of late, he did notice that she wasn't really acting like herself.

In a few minutes, they arrived at the door that would lead to the temple's garden. The couple walked through the many plants and flowers, until they were in the middle of the garden.

Once Flare stopped walking, Volteer turned to her, "Is everything alright?"

"Yes," she answered.

"What is it that you wanted to tell me?"

Flare smiled and gazed into the Guardian's yellow eyes with her own blue ones.

"It's wonderful."

There was a brief pause, a hush was over the two dragons as they looked into each other's eyes. Flare stepped closer to the electric dragon, pressing her forehead against his. Then she continued.

"Volteer… I'm pregnant."

Volteer's eyes widened, with his heart beating faster. He slowly pulled away from Flare to look into her eyes. "R-Really?"

She nodded her head.

"W-we are going to be parents?"

Flare once again nodded her head.

His gaze slowly shifted to the ground as he took the situation in.

Suddenly the Guardian took to the air, "I'M GOING TO BE A DAD!"

In his excitement, lightning surrounded his body, building up energy. He opened his maw and a large stream of lightning shot out into the sky, causing a thunderous roar.

Flare giggled at her mate's reaction. She thought of several ways he would react to the revelation, but she didn't expect this.

Volteer landed back on the ground and pulled the dragoness close, careful not to hurt her, and planted a passionate kiss on her lips. Flare melted into the kiss, closing her eyes, feeling the yellow dragon's tongue brush against her lips. She happily opened her mouth and their tongues dance around for a brief moment. Next, the soon-to-be parents separated for air.

Volteer rubbed his cheek affectionately against hers.

"When did you find out?" he asked curiously.

"Several days ago. I was feeling a little off, so I talked to Incendia. She didn't tell me, but I think she knew I was pregnant, but told me to see a healer. So I did, and they told me I was pregnant."

Volteer continued to rub their cheeks together and said, "We are going to have a family." He pulled away, "How far along are you?"

Flare gave him a fake, confused look, "You're the smart one, figure it out."

A blushed appeared on Volteer's face, knowing the meaning of what she said. "Oh," was all he could say.

Flare pecked him on the cheek, "That was the best night of my life."

Volteer's cheeks reddened even more, causing the dragoness to giggle, she always loved the more sensitive side of the Guardian. She snuggled her head under Volteer's chin. The dragon's cheeks slowly returned to their normal color and pulled her closer, taking in her scent.

Beating wings were heard from above, causing the couple to break apart. They saw that it was Cynder.

The black dragoness landed in front of the couple. "What was that thunder sound?" she asked.

The electric-fire pair glanced at each other, and Volteer spoke, "Apologies, Cynder. That was me."

"Oh, what were you doing?"

Volteer began to sweat, but before he could come up with an excuse, Flare saved him, "Oh, Volteer was just showing off a bit of his abilities. You know how dragons are."

Volteer gave a nervous smile.

Cynder decided to drop the topic, "Okay. But Volteer, don't we have training, on the roof?"

The Electric Guardian's eyes widened, "Oh yes, I nearly forgot. I planned a session for your wind and fear elements." He brought his full attention to Cynder, "Go on ahead, I will be right there."

The black dragoness nodded, leaped into the air, and flew to the top of the temple.

As she left Volteer was struck with realization, fear showing on his face.

Flare noticed and grew concerned, "Volteer, what is it?"

"Nothing," he replied, "Everything is fine."

Flare shook her head, "I know that look, and I've known you too long."

The Electric Guardian looked away from his mate, a solemn look on his face.

Flare grabbed his jaw with a paw, pulling him to look at her, "What's wrong?"

Volteer sighed, "It's just that, Cynder reminded me of something."

Flare put down her paw, "What?"

"I still have to train Cynder, Volt, and, on occasion, Spyro."

"So," Flare asked, not understanding.

"What I'm saying is that I will be occupied between not only being a Guardian, teacher, and a mate, but also a father."

"So? I'm teaching Spyro too."

"I understand. But me? I have other duties, and I'm afraid that they will get in between my duty and my family."

"What are you saying?"

"What I'm trying to say is that, maybe we should have thought about this." Volteer paused for a moment, "I fear that my duties will interfere with my family."

Flare rubbed her cheek against his in a comforting fashion, "You don't have anything to worry about. So what if you have to train with your students? Spyro and Cynder aren't on any time table, and Volt only has to finish in another two years or so. Between now and when the eggs hatch, you'll have plenty of time to figure out a plan."

Volteer moved his head so he could peck her cheek, "You always know what to say."

Flare only closed her eyes, loving the feeling of her mate close to her.

"I'll meet you in our room after your training session," Flare said, pulling away.

Volteer nodded and flew to the temple's roof.

"Now, what to do until then?" Flare questioned out loud, flying to the city.

Within minutes, she neared the marketplace and landed in the middle of the street. Flare looked around, trying to decide what to do next.

Flare soon found a building with a cup of tea painted above the door. There were tables outside with umbrellas for shade and the inside of the building also had tables. She walked to one of the open tables that were outside and took a seat.

Not long after, a grey dragoness, a bit younger than Flare, walked up to her.

"Hello. Would you like something to drink?" she asked kindly.

Flare smiled, "Yes, I will just have regular tea please."

"Make that two," a feminine voice came from the side.

Flare turned to see an azure blue, ice dragoness. Her chest, underbelly, and wing membranes were icy blue, and had two similar colored horns which curved back. The end of her tail was white and was in the shape of an icicle, and her eyes where like sapphires.

"Alright," the grey dragoness said, "I'll be back with your drinks."

The waitress left the two dragonesses alone at the table.

"Hello Flare," the dragoness greeted.

"Hi, Aurora."

Aurora took a seat across from Flare.

Aurora was a healer and the dragoness Cyril has been seeing for a while. The same dragoness from the Warfang Ball.

"How are you today?" Aurora asked.

"Fine," the fire dragoness replied, "thank you. And yourself?"

"Good. We haven't seen each other in a while have we?"

"A couple of weeks, yes. Why haven't you moved into the temple?"

Aurora smiled, "I have commitments as a healer, but I will be living in the temple soon."

"Really?"

Aurora nodded and subconsciously rubbed her stomach area. Flare saw this and saw that the ice dragoness' belly was slightly swollen.

She looked at Aurora with widened eyes, "Are… are you pregnant?"

Aurora smiled, "Yes, I am. A while ago, Cyril and I committed to each other, and now we are expecting hatchlings. That is why I'm moving to the temple soon."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Aurora laughed, "Because I didn't know until a little after we last met. Cyril wanted to keep it a secret for a bit, but I don't mind telling."

"How far along are you?" Flare asked curiously.

"Almost two months," Aurora rubbed her belly again, looking down with a motherly smile, "I can't wait."

The grey dragoness returned with two cups of tea, "Here you are."

She placed one cup in front of Flare, then one in front of Aurora.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?" she asked.

"No," Aurora answered, "Thank you."

The grey dragoness smiled and walked away.

Both dragonesses took sips of their tea, enjoying the taste of the liquid. Aurora looked back at Flare, who was looking down with a small smile.

"Well," Flare started, "that's good to hear."

"What makes you say that?"

Flare smiled at the ice dragoness, "Because, I'm pregnant too."

Aurora gasped with a smile, "That's wonderful. Does Volteer know?"

The fire dragoness nodded, "Yes, he does."

"How did he react? Was it with love and kisses? That was Cyril's response."

Flare giggled, "He flew into the sky and shot an electricity blast, like a little hatchling. Then it was a kiss."

"So, how far along are you?"

"A few weeks."

Aurora inclined her head to see the fire dragoness' belly, "You're not really showing."

Flare smiled, "I'm just so happy that I told Volteer." A thought struck her, "But he does have concerns."

"Like what?" Aurora asked.

"Well, he has Guardian duties and must train three students. He's afraid that those duties will separate him from us." Flare rubbed her belly when she said 'us.'

"Cyril had a similar reaction, but he's confident that a good amount of Glacia's training will be complete by the time the egg hatches."

"Egg?" Flare asked, "You know you're having one?"

"I may be a healer, but I can't say how many hatchlings a mother will have. I was referring to my Mother's Foresight."

The Mother's Foresight was a vison a dragoness would get after they mated with their dragon. The vison would show the dragoness what their future children would be like. However, most have difficulty remembering the vision, only able to recall small pieces. Even then, it was not a guarantee that the vison would be completely accurate.

"I saw one beautiful, light blue hatchling." Aurora then asked, "Did you have the Mother's Foresight?"

"Yes," Flare answered, "I have."

"When?" Aurora asked.

Flare blushed, "It… it was the same night Volteer and I became mates."

"Wow, I've never heard of that before. What did you see?"

Flare closed her eyes, trying to think, "I only remember two. One was… a red color, and the other a yellow color." She opened her eyes, "What I do remember, was that all four of us were happy."

"That sounds nice."

Flare nodded, "I always wanted two hatchlings in my first set."

The ice dragoness' eyes widened, "First set? Are you planning on having more?"

Flare shook her head, "Of course not. Not yet anyway. Maybe after they grow up Volteer and I will talk about it."

Aurora took another sip of her tea, "That sounds lovely."

* * *

"That is enough for today, Cynder," Volteer said.

"Thank you. When will we train again?" the black dragoness asked.

"I will let you know later today. Now go on, I assume you wish to spend more time with your parents."

Cynder nodded and made her way to the door, with the Electric Guardian following behind. When the two reached the bottom of the stairs they separated, Cynder heading towards the students' corridor and Volteer to the Guardians'.

Throughout the training session, Volteer could only think about the future with Flare and their soon to be children, or child. He was very happy of the news, but his only fear is being with his family with him still having Guardian duties to uphold.

Volteer entered the Guardians' corridor, head gazing at the ground in thought. He stopped in front of his door and looked at it, still in thought.

He didn't notice the door to Cyril's room open from behind him.

Cyril stared at the Electric Guardian for a moment and sniffed the air a few times.

"I thought I smelled burning copper," he said sarcastically.

Volteer turned around and saw the Ice Guardian, "Oh, hello Cyril."

Cyril leaned to the left looking at Volteer's room door, "Oh good, I was afraid that if you looked at the door too long you would burn a hole in it."

Cyril expected some explanation as to how it was not possible, or some comeback, but it never came.

"Hey, Volteer? Are you okay?" Cyril asked, some concern in his voice.

Volteer nodded, "Yes, just thinking."

"I can tell. About what?"

"Nothing of importance. Is Incendia still in the temple?"

Cyril shook his head, "She and Ignitus are spending the day out of Warfang. They won't be back until tonight."

"I see," Volteer said, glancing away from the fellow Guardian.

Cyril raised a brow, looking around to make sure that they were alone.

"Do tell, what's on your mind? It must be important to make your mouth shut."

Cyril was the last person Volteer wanted to talk to about the subject. But then again, throwing away the bad talk and bragging about his lineage, Cyril was a good dragon at heart.

Volteer sighed, "It's about Flare."

Cyril gave a nod, listening intently.

"Earlier she told that that she was pregnant."

Cyril's eyes widened with a smile, "Well, congratulations." He saw the look of concern on the yellow dragon's face, "What's the problem? Aren't you happy?"

"Of course! I'm absolutely thrilled, but I fear that my duties will interfere with my family." Cyril remained silent, "I just want everything to be perfect for Flare and the hatchlings. I just cannot think of a satisfactory plan that will train Volt, Cynder, and Spyro, before the eggs are laid and hatched."

There was silence for a moment, Volteer was looking at the ground while Cyril stared at the future father.

"Well," Cyril said, "that's your problem."

Volteer glanced at the Ice Guardian.

Cyril continued, "You think too hard. You are making this bigger than it needs to be."

"What do you mean?"

Cyril paused for a moment, "I need to admit something. It's about Aurora."

"Yes?"

"She is also pregnant."

Volteer was surprised. Both Cyril and himself were going to be fathers.

"Really? Why didn't you say anything?"

Cyril shrugged, "I wasn't sure how to give the news."

"You could have just told us. We all would have congratulated you."

Cyril smiled, "Perhaps, I am starting the next stage of my life, so could you blame me?"

Volteer chucked, "No, I suppose not."

"About your concerns, increase the training sessions you have. The more you do, the sooner you finish, even if Volt is not ready for Guardianship, after your eggs hatch, you can slow down. That's why I had Glacia train with Cynder."

"Aurora has been expecting for that long?"

Cyril shook his head quickly, "No, no, no. I knew that she and I would become mates, so I thought that if Glacia had a sparring partner it would help me focus on Aurora and the little ones."

Volteer smiled, "I thought I was the prepared one."

"Well, you can't plan everything in life, you have to live it."

Volteer nodded, "I have one request."

"Yes?"

"When our children hatch, let's make sure they don't have our friend-hate relationship."

Cyril laughed, "Aurora said the same thing." Cyril placed a paw on Volteer's shoulder, "As much as I love poking at you, I will cease that treatment around the children. However, when it's just us, it's back to being us again."

Volteer laughed as well, "Deal."

The door that lead to the main corridor opened, revealing Flare. Cyril looked back at Volteer giving him a friendly smile. Volteer returned the smile, and walked over to his mate. Cyril walked back into his room, leaving the two mates to themselves.

Volteer stopped in place as Flare made her way to the electric dragon. When she was in front of him, she rubbed her cheek lovingly against his.

When she pulled away she asked, "He didn't say anything rude did he?"

Volteer smiled, "No, in fact, it was the most civil talk we've had in a long time."

Volteer lead his mate to their room. He opened the door for her, and when they walked in, he closed it.

"Did he tell you about him and Aurora?" Flare asked.

"That she is pregnant? Yes. How did you know?"

"She joined me for some tea in the city, conveniently."

"Maybe," Volteer said, walking next to her. He brushed his paw against her belly with a smile, "It's nice that we won't be the only new parents in the temple." Volteer glanced at his nightstand, where the letters lay. "I nearly forgot," he said, walking to the nightstand, grabbing the letters. He walked back to Flare and showed her a letter, "This is for you. I am going to give Cyril his, and ask him to give the other to Terrador."

Flare grabbed the letter, "Thank you."

Volteer nodded and left the room.

Flare looked at the envelope, her name written on it, and made her way to the bed. She got on the large cushion and laid down, her body facing the door. She opened the letter and began to read.

_Flare,_

_We hope that you are doing well in Warfang. We have missed you so much since you left, but we are very proud of you. I want to let you know that your father and I are coming to Warfang to visit you. We are planning on arriving in just over a week. We have yet to decide for how long, we will let you know when we arrive. We can't wait to see you._

_Love,_

_Mom_

Flare smiled at the letter and read it again. Happiness filled her heart, her parents were coming to visit.

The door opened again, and the Electric Guardian walked in, "So, who is the letter from, love?"

Flare smiled, "It's from mom and dad."

Volteer raised a brow, "Really?" he asked, laying down next to her on the bed.

She nodded, "They are coming to visit in over a week." Volteer swallowed nervously and Flare noticed, "Don't worry, they will be happy to know that we are together. They've always liked you."

Volteer smiled, "What about the little ones?"

"They'll be happy to know that they are going to have grandchildren." This put her mate at ease. "Volteer?" she asked, remembering her talk with Aurora.

"Yes?"

"Well, I never told you that I had the Mother's Foresight."

"No, you haven't," the Guardian stated, looking into her blue eyes, "When did you have it?"

"The same night we mated."

"And what did you see?"

"I remember seeing two little dragons, one was red, and the other was yellow. We were all happy."

"So, I was correct in saying 'little ones' wasn't I?" Volteer pulled his mate into a hug, wrapping his wings around her, "I love you, Flare. I love you so much."

"And I love you, Volteer."


	21. Changes

Chapter 21: Changes

"Is everything okay, Volteer?" Flare asked her mate.

The Electric Guardian nodded, "Yes, I'm just thinking about what to say to everyone."

The two dragons were going to the usual morning meeting with the other Guardians. It was the day after Flare told Volteer that she was carrying his hatchlings, and the Guardian intended to break the news to the others.

Flare nuzzled Volteer lovingly as they walked, "Everything will work out."

Volteer smiled and returned the gesture, "I know."

The two dragons arrived at the Guardians' chamber, the door opening as they approached. Terrador, Ignitus, and Incendia were waiting around the Pool of Visions. Cyril had yet to arrive.

"Volteer, Flare, how are you two this morning?" Incendia greeted the two dragons.

"Fine, thank you," Volteer and Flare replied in unison, the door closing behind them.

"We are only waiting on Cyril," Terrador said, "Odd though, he usually is here before you are."

Not long after, the door opened once again, this time the Ice Guardian walked in.

"Good morning, everyone," Cyril said, walking to his usual place around the Pool of Visions.

"Good morning," the others said.

Ignitus spoke, "As usual, does anyone have anything they need to say?"

Terrador shook his head when nothing came to his mind.

Flare glanced at her mate, knowing that he was going to speak.

"I do have something to say," Volteer said.

"Yes?" Ignitus asked, wanting his fellow Guardian to continue.

"I want to make slight changes to my training sessions with my students."

Ignitus raised a brow, "I suppose that's fine. What brought this up?"

Volteer smiled, pressing his cheek against his mate's, who smiled at the contact.

"Flare is pregnant."

Ignitus and Terrador wore looks of surprise, while Incendia held a smile. Cyril already knew about the news and held his usual posture, but smiled nonetheless.

"Congratulations," Incendia said, "It was only a matter of time."

Volteer nodded, "I wish to spend more time training with Volt, Cynder, and Spyro. This way, once the eggs hatch I can spend as much time with them as I can."

Ignitus turned to Terrador and Cyril, who both nodded. The Fire Guardian then looked at his mate, who gave him a smile.

Ignitus looked at Volteer, "What do you have in mind?"

"I want to try a new training session with Volt, to see how it works. It will be longer and more difficult, but I know he will manage."

Terrador nodded, "I approve."

Ignitus smiled, "It will be a good change for him." The fire dragon looked at Cyril, who was about to speak, "Yes, Cyril?"

"I also have something to say," Cyril said, "Aurora is pregnant as well."

This surprised the three dragons.

"She is?" Incendia asked, earning a nod from the Ice Guardian. She looked at Flare and asked, "How far along are you?"

"Only a few weeks. I'm not quite showing yet," Flare noted, unconsciously rubbing her belly.

Incendia looked at Cyril, "And how far along is Aurora?"

"Just over two months," he answered.

Terrador spoke, "I assume that you want to change your training sessions, like Volteer?"

Cyril shook his head, "As of now, I am confident in Glacia's abilities. I do want to have longer sessions, but it is not as big of a deal as Volteer's. He has three students after all."

Ignitus chuckled, "Remember when we made that restriction for the students about hatchlings?"

He earned nods from the others.

Terrador chucked as well, "The irony of it." He looked at the future fathers, "Is that the only news you have?"

Cyril spoke, "Aurora is going to be moving into the temple in a few weeks, she has commitments as a healer."

"Of course," Ignitus said with a smile, "She is always welcome."

"I assume this concludes this meeting," Terrador said, earning nods from the five other dragons. Terrador got up from his sitting position, "In that case, I am going to spend time with Emera." He made his way to the door, "I'll be back in a few hours."

"We will see you later," Volteer said to his green colleague.

The door opened, but Terrador stopped to look back at Volteer and Cyril, giving them a smile. The Earth Guardian then left the room, the door closing behind him.

Cyril looked over to Volteer, "I'm going to be training with Glacia on the roof later today, so the training room is yours."

"Thank you," Volteer replied.

Cyril followed Terrador's example and left the room, leaving the two couples in the chamber.

"Incendia," Flare said, getting the mentioned dragoness' attention.

"Yes, Flare?"

"Since I'm going to be having hatchlings, it will slow down my training with Spyro. I was wondering, will you be willing to help me train him?"

Incendia smiled, "Of course I will. I will be more than happy to help."

"Also, my mother and father will be visiting Warfang in about a week. I don't know how long they will be staying. While I'm with them, could you train Spyro on those days?"

Incendia smiled, "Of course I will." The fire dragoness looked at Volteer, "I just hope Volteer knows how he's going to explain the little ones."

Volteer grew nervous at the thought, but relaxed when Flare nuzzled him.

Ignitus looked at Volteer with a smile, "Everything will work out. Even if the eggs hatch before Volt is ready to be a Guardian, you can still teach him and be a father."

Volteer smiled returning his mate's nuzzle, "Those were concerns I initially had, but they are put at ease." He pulled from the nuzzle, "Now if you will excuse me, I have to test out a new session with Volt."

* * *

"So, Cynder is in the city with her parents?" asked Volt.

Spyro and the apprentices were sitting in the dining hall, having finished their breakfast. They were now enjoying conversations with one another.

"Yeah," Spyro answered, "they're having breakfast."

Glacia raised a brow, "Why didn't you go with them?"

Spyro shrugged, "I thought that she should enjoy more time with her family."

"That's nice of you Spyro," she replied, "but I'm sure that her parents wouldn't mind. According to Cynder, they have taken a liking to you."

"Lucky," Blaze said, "you don't have to worry about her dad glaring at you."

Glacia rolled her eyes, "Are you still sour about that? He said he only did it to make sure that you were the one for me."

Blaze only grumbled inaudible words.

Terrain spoke up, "Well, it sounds like they see you as a part of the family."

Spyro smiled, but said nothing.

The dining hall door opened, and the five dragons turned to see who it was. Volteer made his way to the group of dragons.

When the Electric Guardian was at the table he spoke, "Good morning, everyone."

"Good morning, Volteer," the five dragons replied in unison.

Volteer looked at his apprentice, "Volt, are you ready for a little change in your training."

"A change?" Volt asked.

The Guardian nodded, "I will explain everything in the training room."

"Okay," the younger electric dragon replied. He glanced at his friends, "See you all later."

The other four dragons said their good-byes, as the two electric dragons left the room.

The teacher and student walked through the temple in relative silence. It wasn't long until they entered the training room. The two electric dragons walked onto the ring and faced each other.

It was Volteer that spoke first, "I assume you want to know why I have decided to change up your training."

He earned a nod from his apprentice.

"Am I doing something wrong?" Volt asked nervously.

Volteer chucked, "Of course not."

Volt tilted his head slightly, waiting for the Guardian to explain.

Volteer took a deep breath and said, "Flare is pregnant."

Volt's eyes widened slightly, "Really? That's great!"

The Guardian smiled at the younger dragon's enthusiasm, "Yes, it is wonderful. However, I have duties as a Guardian to uphold, and I don't want that to interfere with my time with my children." Volt gave a nod, letting Volteer continue, "So, I want to increase the amount of time we train, and increase the difficulty. You are progressing very well, but I doubt that you will be ready for Guardianship by the time the eggs hatch. This is only to help me balance my time between being a Guardian and a father." He glanced at his apprentice, "Do you understand?"

The Electric Apprentice smiled, "Yes, I'm sure I can handle the new training!"

Volteer smiled back, "I'm glad you are enthusiastic about this." Volteer's smile turned into a smirk, "Because by the end of this training session, you will be singing a different tune."

Volt gulped.

* * *

"So," Blaze started, "When do you all start training today?"

"I start in the afternoon," Terrain said.

"Same here," Glacia replied.

Spyro got up from his stop at the table, "I start training soon, so I should start heading to the roof."

Spyro walked to the door, causing it to open.

"See you later, Spyro," Glacia called to him.

Spyro smiled back at the group, walking out of the room with the door closing behind him.

After a small walk, Spyro opened the door, leading to the roof.

The sun was high in the sky, but still rising, indicating that it was mid-morning.

The purple dragon made his way to the edge of the roof, looking over the city, wondering how Cynder and her parents were doing. Spyro brought up a paw, touching his necklace as thoughts of the black dragoness entered his mind.

After a few minutes of solitary, the door opened. Spyro turned around to see Flare and Incendia making their way to him.

"Good morning Spyro," Flare greeted.

Spyro walked away from his spot to meet the two fire dragonesses, "Good morning, Flare." His attention was on the older dragoness, "Good morning, Incendia. What are you doing here?"

"Good morning, Spyro. Flare is going to explain."

The purple dragon turned to Flare, who nodded.

"There is something that I need to let you know. I am pregnant."

Spyro's eyes widened, "Really?"

He earned a nod from the future mother.

"You and Volteer are going to have a family? That's wonderful!"

Flare smiled, "Yes, it is. However, as you can imagine, I will have to shift my responsibilities to the hatchlings." She glanced at Incendia, "Incendia has agreed to help me with your training."

Spyro nodded, glad to hear that Incendia would be joining them.

"Also, my mother and father will be visiting Warfang in about a week. So, while I am with them, Incendia will train with you."

Spyro nodded again, "Alright, but what about after your eggs hatch?"

Flare smiled, "I will still be able to train you, and if I am unable to, Incendia will."

"Do you happen to know what Volteer has planned with my training?"

Flare shrugged, "Not entirely, but we both decided to increase the amount of time we train you. This will hopefully allow us more time with our children."

"I understand," Spyro said with a smile, "I'm happy for the both of you."

Flare returned the smile, "Thank you, Spyro. Now, how about we do some aerial, fire techniques?"

The purple dragon smiled, ready to begin.

* * *

"This has been a nice morning," Shadow stated, earning nods and smiles from his mate and daughter.

The shadow dragon family had finished breakfast, and had explored more of the city. Now, they were enjoying a walk through the park.

"Yes it was," Umbra said, looking to at Cynder, "and next time, Spyro should join us."

Shadow nodded in agreement.

Umbra asked, "I wonder why he didn't want to come."

"He has training this morning," Cynder replied, "but I also think that he wanted me to spend time with you both."

"Such a generous dragon. You know how to pick them, dear."

Cynder looked away, heat rising to her face.

Shadow chuckled, "No need to embarrass her hun." He looked at his daughter, "Don't you have to train today?"

"Yes," Cynder replied, "we should be going."

The three black dragons flapped their wings and flew towards the temple. After several minutes of flying the temple came into view, with bursts of flames coming from the top of the temple.

"I think that's Spyro," Cynder stated.

"It might be best to not disturb his training," Shadow replied.

Cynder and Umbra nodded in agreement, landing in front of the main entrance.

* * *

The dragon's legs were wobbling, as if they were about to give out. He panted, sweat prevalent on his face and neck.

"Very good, Volt," the Electric Guardian applauded, looking at his apprentice. "That will conclude this session."

When the words left Volteer's mouth, Volt collapsed. All of his muscles were crying in pain from constant use.

"Is this going to be every session?" Volt asked, trying to catch his breath.

Volteer smiled, "What happened to that enthusiasm earlier?"

Volt sighed, "I'm singing a different tune."

Volteer chuckled, "Well, this is actually what I would consider one of the more difficult lessons. Unfortunately for you, there much less easy sessions."

Volt groan slightly, standing back up, "I'm not sure if I will last."

"You will," Volteer encouraged, "give it several days. You are a capable dragon, Volt. I would not have chosen you as my apprentice if you weren't."

The younger electric dragon looked at the Guardian with a smile, "Thank you, that means a lot."

Volteer beckoned Volt to follow him to one of the storage cabinets, pulling a small green gem.

"Use this to regain some energy, however, I want you to not use any gems unless it is from me."

Volt smashed the gem, the pieces flying into his body, making him feel much better.

"Don't I already do that?"

Volteer nodded, "Yes, but the worst thing you can do is rely on gems. You won't always have them."

"I understand."

"Sometimes I will not always give you a gem. This is so that your body won't necessarily need gems to heal, or regain strength."

"Of course."

Volteer smiled, "Good, you are free to go."

Volt nodded and made his way to the door, his legs still a little stiff. As he approached the door, it opened, and in the hall were Cynder, Umbra, and Shadow.

"Hey Volt," Cynder greeted, "are you done training?"

"Yeah," Volt said with a nod, continuing down the corridor, small limps in his walk.

_He must have had a rough training session_, Cynder thought to herself.

The family walked into the room, the door closing behind them.

"Hello, all of you," Volteer greeted.

"Hello, Volteer," Cynder greeted back, "what's wrong with Volt?"

Volteer smiled, "He just went through a change in training; one longer and more difficult than others. Which, actually, relates to you."

Cynder raised a brow, "How?"

"I wish to change some aspects of your training." The Electric Guardian paused before continuing, "Flare and I are going to have a family."

All three shadow dragons held looks of surprise, with some joy.

It was Umbra that spoke, "The fire dragoness you're always with?"

Volteer smiled, "Yes, she is pregnant."

"Congratulations," Shadow said.

"That's fantastic!" Cynder said with joy for the Guardian. "So, you want to change the training to free your time with Flare and your hatchlings?"

"Yes," Volteer answered, "I am going to be training with Volt much more, and also extend most of the sessions you and Spyro have with me."

Cynder nodded, giving the Guardian her full attention.

Volteer looked at Shadow and Umbra, "I also have a request for the both of you."

Both parents gave confused looks, "Yes?"

"Would you like to train Cynder in the shadow element?"

The family exchanged looks, and Cynder asked, "Really?"

The Guardian smiled, "I figure that your mother and father, both shadow dragons, can easily teach you things that I will struggle with. I will still teach you your fear, wind, and poison elements, but shadow, I believe, should be taught by your parents."

Shadow and Umbra exchanged happy looks, then looked at their daughter.

Umbra spoke, "We will be happy too, if Cynder is fine with it."

Cynder replied with happiness, "Yes, I would love that."

"Very good," Volteer replied, "Are you ready for some training?"

"Yes," the black dragoness replied.

The electric dragon looked at the other two shadow dragons, "You may stay if you want."

"Thank you," Umbra answered, "We would love to."

Shadow nodded in agreement.

* * *

The bright sun fell over the horizon. Its red and orange glow indicating the late evening.

News of Flare and Aurora's pregnancies spread through the temple and the residents were nothing short of delightful. All were excited to know that there would be not only new residents at the temple, but new life in general.

Spyro and Cynder sat on the roof of the temple, looking over the city and the setting sun.

"Hopefully I won't be too sore tomorrow," Spyro stated, stretching out his wings slightly and rolling his shoulders.

Cynder smiled, "I can only imagine. You had two longer training sessions today." She referred to Volteer's new training and Flare and Incendia's training.

"Well, you'll be training with your parents soon," Spyro pointed out. "That must be exciting for you."

"It is," the black dragoness replied, "the last time I trained with them was…" her sentence trailed off.

Spyro finished for her, "before they disappeared."

Cynder nodded, remembering the heartache of losing her family. "Part of me still has trouble believing that I have them again."

The purple dragon gave her a gentle kiss on her cheek for comfort. "Well believe it. They are here to stay, and I don't think they will be leaving any time soon."

Cynder gave her purple dragon a thankful smile. Her smile soon dropped, as thoughts ran through her mind.

Spyro took notice, "What is it?" he asked, some concern in his voice.

Cynder shook her head, "Nothing Spyro." She leaned her head on his shoulder, "I'm just thinking is all."

Spyro leaned his own head on hers, looking at the peaceful city below.

Cynder's mind was clouded with thoughts. She shifted her emerald eyes to the purple dragon, who didn't seem to notice. _Oh, Spyro. You're always looking after me and doing everything in your power to make me happy. I love you so much, it hurts. I just don't know how to tell you about them. I'm afraid how you will react._

"Spyro?" she asked, doing everything she can to keep her voice calm.

"Yes, Cynder?" he replied, gazing at her with his amethyst eyes.

"Promise me that you will always be with me. No matter what."

Spyro pulled away from Cynder slightly to look into her eyes. He could see concern within her emerald orbs, however, he also saw anxiety and fear. He could only ponder why.

Rather than replying with words, the purple dragon leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. Cynder didn't expect the sudden gesture, but welcome it nonetheless and returned the kiss.

After a moment they pulled apart to look into each other's eyes, the sun nearly set in the background.

Finally, Spyro answered, "I promise Cyn, I will always be with you. I love you."

Cynder smiled, nuzzling her cheek against his, "I love you too, Spy."

The purple dragon used his paws and wings to pull the two dragons closer together in an embrace. Neither dragon was quite ready for bed, they enjoyed to warmth of their lover as the night began to flourish.


	22. Revelations

Chapter 22: Revelations

It was late in the morning and the temple residents were going on with their daily routines. At the moment, Spyro and Cynder were relaxing in the purple dragon's room on his bed until a knock came from his door.

"Spyro?" Ignitus' voice asked, "May I come it?"

Spyro turned his attention from Cynder to his door, "Sure."

Ignitus opened the door, looking at the young couple, "There are dragons in the main corridor for you. A mated pair of an electric dragoness and a fire dragon."

Spyro raised a brow in slight confusion, thinking about anyone he knew that fit the description.

When the Fire Guardian said who was in the temple, Cynder's blood ran cold. Her heart rate accelerated and anxiety took over her body.

"Who are they?" Spyro asked.

Ignitus shook his head, "They wish to say when you are present."

"Alright, I'll be right there."

The Guardian nodded and left the two dragons to return to the apparent guests.

Spyro looked to Cynder, "I guess we shouldn't keep them waiting."

Spyro noticed the look of worry on Cynder's face.

The purple dragon nudged her with his snout, "Cynder?"

The black dragoness broke from her trance, "Oh, yes Spyro?"

"You okay?"

Cynder was about to say that she was fine, but something in the back of her mind stopped her. She couldn't possibly lie to him.

Cynder instead shook her head, "I…" she didn't know what to say.

Spyro gave her a warm smile, "If something is bothering you, just let me know. But let's see who is here. They're probably some important dragons from the city."

_They are important Spyro_, Cynder thought, _but they are not from the city._

When she broke from her thoughts Spyro was already waiting for her at the door.

"Come on, Cynder."

The dragoness nodded and followed her dragon out the door.

The trek down the hallway felt like life had stopped for Cynder. She could only wonder how she could possibly have forgotten. She had been thinking about how to explain everything to Spyro for several days, but could never bring herself to say it.

She stole a glance at the purple dragon. He had his usual small smile he always wore when he was with her.

"S… Spyro?" she asked, doing her best to hide her fear.

"Yes?" the purple dragon asked, looking to her as they stopped near to door that would lead to the main corridor.

"I love you, Spy." She said, still masking her anxiety.

Spyro smiled, leaning in and giving her a tender kiss. Cynder melted into the kiss, pressing her tongue against Spyro's, making heat rise to the purple dragon's face.

The back of Spyro's mind wondered why Cynder was acting this way. However, he brushed it off as her showing her love for him.

Spyro pulled from the kiss, smiling at his beautiful dragoness, "I love you too, Cyn."

Spyro took a few more steps forward causing the door to open.

Inside the corridor were Incendia, Ignitus, Flare, Volteer, and Cynder's parents, all sitting on their haunches. And with them, as Ignitus had said, were a fire dragon and an electric dragoness. Spyro thought he saw something behind the dragoness but decided to ignore it.

Spyro continued to make his way into the corridor with Cynder following behind.

As he got closer, Spyro got a better look at the dragons. The male was a red fire dragon with gold underbelly, chest, and wing membranes, along with gold horns that were shaped much like his own. The dragoness was yellow with white underbelly, chest, and wing membranes. Unlike her mate, she had four smooth white horns.

The two guests stared at Spyro taking in every detail of his body, making him slightly uncomfortable.

Ignitus quickly took notice, "So," he began, getting the two mates' attention, "now that Spyro is here, would you like to introduce yourselves?"

Both dragons nodded, but it was the fire dragon that spoke first, "My name is Solar," he turned to the dragoness next to him, "and this is my mate, Sanda."

The electric dragoness nodded her head, looking into Spyro's purple eyes.

Spyro spoke, "My name is Spyro. You two wanted to meet me?"

Sanda and Solar exchanged quick glances before Sanda spoke to Spyro, "We have wanted to meet you for a very long time."

"Really?" Spyro asked.

Solar nodded, "Yes, for twenty years, we wanted to see you."

"What?" confusion prevalent in the purple dragon's voice. He looked at Sanda, then to Solar, and back to Sanda. He looked into Sanda's bright purple eyes with his own, "Who are you?"

Sanda smiled ever so lightly, "I am your mother, Spyro."

Spyro's eyes widened and his jaw hung in complete shock.

He glanced over to Solar, who added, "And I am your father."

Spyro took a step back, right in front of him were his mother and father. He looked over the two dragons, noting the similarities between himself and the dragons. Finally, he looked into their eyes, to see if there was any doubt or lie. However, he could not find any.

"You… are my parents?"

"Yes," Sanda nodded, bringing up a paw, a gesture for Spyro to come toward them.

The purple dragon, however, took a step back. There were many questions going around Spyro's head, but only one stood out.

"Why did you abandon me?"

Solar and Sanda's eyes widened at the question.

After no reply, Spyro grew angry turning to Ignitus, "Did you know about this?"

However, the Fire Guardian, along with the others, shook their heads with shock painted on their faces.

"I did," a voice said from behind him. A voice he knew all too well.

He glanced back at Cynder, who held a look of guilt.

"Cynder?" Spyro asked.

"I met them in the market, while I was out with Glacia. It was a week ago, the same day my parents came."

Spyro could hardly believe it. The dragoness he loved and trusted, kept this a secret from him.

"I wanted to tell-"

"Stop," Spyro interrupted, his emotions moving from anger to sadness. "I can't believe that… you, the dragoness I love, would keep this from me." Before Cynder could speak, he turned to his parents, "And I can't believe that after twenty years, you thought you could just appear and think that I would just accept it. After you gave up on me."

Spyro faced the small crowd of dragons, slowly backing towards the door.

"Spyro," Cynder said softly, trying her best to not let tears fall.

The purple dragon gave a heartbroken look at Cynder, breaking her own heart, but what he said next almost shattered it.

"How could you?" without another word, Spyro turned and ran.

"Spyro, no!" Cynder cried out.

But it was too late, Spyro had already made it out the door and fled the temple.

Tears ran down her cheeks as Cynder fell to the floor sobbing. The only image in her mind was Spyro's look of betrayal.

Sanda's own tears fell, pressing her face into her mate's neck for comfort. The other dragons looking at each other with concerned looks.

Umbra walked to her sobbing daughter, in hopes to at least calm her.

"Cynder."

The dragoness was able to control her sobbing, but the tears continued to fall, "It's over. He trusted me and I blew it."

"Oh, Cyndie," Umbra said, as Cynder continued to sob.

"This is terrible," Flare whispered to her mate, who looked deep in thought. "Volteer?"

The Electric Guardian looked to his mate, "I wonder…"

Flare gave him a quizzical look as he walked over to Cynder and Umbra.

When he was standing next to Cynder he spoke, "Don't worry Cynder, Spyro will be back soon."

"How do you know that?" she questioned.

Volteer smiled, "You let me worry about that. Now, go to your room for a bit to dry those tears. I promise that Spyro will be there later."

Cynder still had doubt, but didn't argue.

Umbra spoke to her, "Come on Cynder, let's go to your room."

Cynder nodded and walked towards the students' corridor with her mother, her tail dragging on the floor.

Shadow walked with his family, while Volteer walked back to Flare, Ignitus and Incendia.

"Stay here with our guests, I'm going after him."

"What?" Flare asked, "He could be anywhere in the city."

"Don't worry," The Electric Guardian replied, "I know where he is going."

"How do you know?" Sanda asked, sadness still in her voice.

Volteer turned to her, "Because this is not the first time he has had an outburst about this subject."

* * *

The purple dragon wiped more tears as they slowly made their way from his watered eyes. He still felt the pain in his chest that refused to go away.

Spyro laid underneath a familiar tree in the park, the very tree he went to before the Warfang Ball. He found it a bit odd that this was the second time he ran to the same tree to get away from Cynder.

The park was quiet with little activity, besides himself, there were only a little more than a dozen dragons

_She knew for almost a week? How could she keep my real mother and father a secret from me_? he asked himself, _And why are they even here in the first place?_

The sound of wings beating broke the purple dragon from his thoughts. He turned his head to see the dragon behind him.

"Hello, Spyro," Volteer greeted.

Spyro did not answer, only laid his head back on the grass below him and sighed.

The Electric Guardian looked at the purple dragon with concern, "How are you doing?"

"What are you doing here?" Spyro asked, ignoring the question.

"Well, to see how you are taking the shocking news of your family's appearance," Volteer said, sitting on his haunches next to Spyro.

"I don't know," Spyro said honestly, sitting up on his haunches.

Volteer remained quiet, knowing that Spyro was going to continue.

"When I found out that I was a dragon, I wanted to know who my real parents were, only to be told that no one knew. No one claimed my egg as their own. Now, after twenty years, they just appear, and to make things worse, the dragoness that I trust and love more than anything, knew and didn't tell me about them."

Volteer looked up to the sky, knowing that the next few words would either fix everything or break it even more.

"Well, life is an odd thing."

Spyro glanced at the Guardian as he spoke.

"It gives you all of these choices, some of which are not in your own control." Volteer looked at Spyro, "There is a question that we all ask ourselves, but always know the answer. Tell me Spyro, what do you think of your life?"

This confused the purple dragon, "What?"

"What I mean is, is there something that you would change?" Spyro remained silent as Volteer continued, "If you had lived with your real parents, you would have never met Sparx, or your adopted parents. Odds are, you may not have met your other friends. And instead of training at the temple, you would have trained with Malefor."

Spyro continued Volteer's thoughts, "And if I trained with Malefor, then it is possible that he would not meet Cynder, who would be alone without her parents." Spyro looked up to the sky, "And I would have never met her."

Thinking about what Spyro said made Volteer think about something that Flare had said to him a while ago.

"Flare once told me, 'Instead of thinking about how others impacted your life, think about how you impacted other's lives.' If you did not have the life you have now, Flare would not have ever come to the temple. She was meant to train you after all. If that were to happen, then she and I would not be together."

Spyro glanced at the ground, taking in the Electric Guardian's words. "I never really thought about that."

Volteer thought about it more and continued, "Now that I think about it, you coming to the temple lead me to having the happy life I have, and a happy future with a mate and children. All of that was because of you being here."

The purple dragon thought about what Volteer had said. If, in fact, Spyro had been raised by his real family, then he may not got to the temple. But, instead, train with Malefor. Even if he went to the temple, Flare would not have been invited to the temple to train him because Malefor was there. And most of all, he would not have met Cynder.

_Cynder_, Spyro thought to himself, _I shouldn't have left her like that. I love her too much to let her go._

He glanced at the Electric Guardian, "Volteer?"

"Yes?"

"What do you think would have changed if your father had been… more kind to you? You know, like a real father."

Volteer pondered at the question for a moment and answered, "I suppose that if that were to happen, then I would not have an incentive to push myself to set a goal to become a Guardian. Him and my peers degrading me gave me a reason to pursue a goal. I would have had more courage to talk to Flare about my feelings for her and we would have been a couple that much sooner."

There was a brief silence between the two dragons. Spyro was about to speak when Volteer beat him to it.

"That, however, is something that is beyond my control. The question then is, would I want my father to treat me that way?" Volteer smiled at the purple dragon, "My answer would be no. If anything, I should thank him. In my mind, everything is perfect. I have friends that I enjoy spending time with, the title of Guardian of Electricity, wonderful students, a beautiful mate, and soon to be children. There is not one thing that I would change."

Spyro had a smile forming on his own lips, "Yeah, same here. I think that my life is perfect the way it is." His thoughts drifted to Cynder, "I just want to know why Cynder never told me that she met my parents."

"Well," Volteer said, "how would she? Just say, 'Spyro, you won't believe this, but I met two dragons that claim to be your parents'? I don't think so."

Spyro smiled, "I suppose your right. I just hope that Cynder will forgive me."

"She will. If you truly love someone, you will forgive them, no matter what."

Spyro glanced back at the Guardian, "Thank you, Volteer. For everything."

"You are quite welcome."

"You know, you are getting better at this. Making others feel better."

Volteer smiled and shrugged, "Incendia must be rubbing off on me."

The two dragons shared a laugh.

"Let's head back to the temple," Volteer said, "There is someone that I'm sure wishes to see you again."

Spyro nodded and the two got ready to fly.

"Hey, Volteer?"

"Yes?"

"How did you know where to find me?"

"This isn't the only time I talked to you about your real family."

Spyro instantly knew what he meant, and smiled at the memory.

Both dragons jumped into the air, beating their wings to stay in flight. A particular conversation came to both their minds—one that they had a few years ago, a few months after Spyro first started living at the temple.

* * *

_ "__Now, where would that young dragon be?" the Electric Guardian asked himself, walking through the park. "If he is not here, then I would have run out of proposals on where he could be."_

_For specific reasons unknown to the Guardian, Spyro had an outburst about an hour prior to this moment. From what the other Guardians had said, it had something to do it the young purple dragon's real family._

_As Volteer was thinking of leaving to search in another area, he spotted something purple underneath a tree._

_As he walked closer, he saw that it was Spyro. Smiling, the Guardian of Electricity walked over to the purple dragon._

_However, as he got closer, Volteer could see the sadness in the purple dragon's face. Spyro looked very distraught._

_As Volteer walked up to Spyro, the purple dragon looked up to see who was approaching him. Volteer saw that Spyro's eyes were very moist._

_ "__Ah, there you are, Spyro," Volteer said, still holding a smile._

_However, when Spyro dropped his head, concern could be read on the Guardian's face._

_Volteer sat on his haunches, next to the purple dragon and asked, "What is bothering you, young dragon?"_

_The purple dragon, however, shook his head, "It's nothing, Volteer. I just like to come to the park is all."_

_The Guardian raised a brow, "The excessive moisture in your eyes either indicate that; you have something in your eyes or you are sad about something._

_Spyro couldn't fight the smallest of smiles appear on his face. Volteer's vocabulary was the same as a thesaurus. Volteer can hardly explain anything basic without adding in difficult words. Spyro found it humorous when Cyril would get annoyed._

_ "__That is much better," Volteer said, seeing the smile on Spyro's face._

_ "__It's just," Spyro began, losing his smile, "It's about my family."_

_ "__Your real family?" Volteer asked, earning a nod from the purple dragon._

_Spyro was silent for a moment, thinking about what to say._

_ "__Volteer," he began, "is it… I'm not sure of the right word, wrong to want to know my parents?"_

_The Electric Guardian made no movement or response._

_ "__Maybe 'wrong' wasn't the right word," Spyro said, mostly to himself._

_ "__Whatever the word," Volteer spoke, "it is natural for someone in your position to want to know your birth parents."_

_Spyro looked back at the Guardian, "So, it's perfectly fine that I feel this way?"_

_Volteer smiled and nodded as a reply._

_ "__But," Spyro continued, "what if, for whatever reason, they… didn't want me?"_

_The Guardian knew that the next few words would either heal the purple dragon's heart, or make matters worse._

_Volteer placed a paw on Spyro's shoulder and spoke, "I don't believe that for a second."_

_The purple dragon looked into the yellow dragon's eyes, only to find honesty and kindness._

_ "__Your egg was placed in the temple like everyone else. They wanted you to hatch with others your age. I have never heard, nor experienced, parents leaving their eggs at the temple and not return."_

_The Guardian's words touched Spyro, making the purple dragon smile._

_ "__Thank you, Volteer, "Spyro thanked, "I needed that."_

_Volteer returned the smile, "You are welcome."_

_ "__And you didn't use big words," Spyro added, causing both dragons to laugh._

_ "__Don't expect me to break out of that habit, as they say, 'habits die hard'."_

_The purple dragon smiled, but asked, "What about your parents?"_

_This caught the Guardian off guard, "Pardon?"_

_ "__What were your parents like?"_

_The yellow dragon looked over the park's lake for a moment._

_ "__It's complicated," he said looking back at Spyro, "but I will tell you at a later time. Right now, everyone must be worried about you. So how about we go home?"_

_Spyro nodded, "Right."_

_Both dragon's spread their wings and took to the sky, heading back to the temple._

* * *

The door to the temple opened, drawing the attention of everyone in the corridor.

Volteer and Spyro saw that; Spyro's parents, Flare, Ignitus, and Incendia were the only ones present. Spyro assumed that Cynder and her parents were in the black dragoness' room. Thinking about the heartache that Cynder might be going through made Spyro's own heart hurt.

The purple dragon walked toward his mother and father, and noticed movement behind Sanda. Spyro swore is was something yellow, but payed it no attention. His main concern was to see Cynder as soon as possible.

The purple dragon walked up to his parents and spoke, "We need to talk, but I have something to do first."

Both dragons nodded knowingly, as their son made his way to the students' corridor.

* * *

Her crying may have stopped, however, the pain in her heart did not. Her eyes were still wet with tears.

Cynder laid on her bed in her room with her mother on one side and her father on the other. They had been there since leaving the main corridor, and the two mates allowed their daughter to have her cry and gave her comforting words.

"Cynder," Umbra said, getting her daughter's attention.

"Yes?" Cynder said, small trembling in her voice.

"Everything will turn out fine. Any minute now, your purple dragon will come into this room to see you."

"How are you so sure?" Cynder asked, doing her best to remove the doubt that plagued her mind.

Umbra smiled, "Because that dragon absolutely adores you. You can see it in his eyes when he is with you. In the short time I've known him, he has shown nothing but love and affection for you."

As Spyro's loving personality reentered her heart, she felt the warmth in her chest return.

Shadow also spoke, "I don't think that anything could separate him from you. He loves you too much. In fact, he reminds me of myself when your mother and I were a young couple."

The black dragoness couldn't help but smile, "I just want him back."

As if the ancestors answered her, the door to her room slowly opened. The shadow dragon family turned to see who it was. Standing in the doorway was the purple dragon.

"Spyro," Cynder said softly.

"H… Hey, Cynder," Spyro said, not sure if the black dragoness was upset with him.

Cynder got off of her bed and slowly made her way to him.

Silence fell upon the room. Both dragons were unsure what to say, they only looked into each other's eyes. Spyro could make out the remains of her tears, he mentally scolded himself for leaving her in such a state.

Umbra broke the silence, "We will leave you two alone for a moment."

Umbra made her way out of the room followed closely by her mate. When the two shadow mates were out the door, Shadow closed it behind him, leaving Spyro and Cynder to themselves.

The purple dragon knew that he should start. Spyro lowered his head and closed his eyes, "Cynder, I know that I hurt you. I'm so sorry for-"

However, he was interrupted by a pair of lips pressing against his own, forming a loving, passionate kiss. He opened his eyes to see Cynder's face directly in front of him, her eyes closed. He closed his eyes again and returned the kiss with just as much passion. Heat rose to the dragon's face, as he felt the dragoness' tongue rubbing against his teeth, begging for entrance. Spyro happily complied and opened his mouth and their tongues danced freely.

After what felt like a life-time, Spyro and Cynder pulled apart for air, looking into each other's eyes.

"I'm sorry," Cynder said, tears returning to her eyes, "I'm so sorry. I should have said something, but I just didn't know how to tell you."

Spyro gave her a warm smile and brushed his muzzle against hers. When he pulled away and brushed her tears away with a paw.

He said, "I understand. I'm sorry for the way I acted. I was just in shock that my real mother and father are here. And finding out that you had known for several days, hurt me. But I understand why. If you would have told me that you met them, maybe it would have made things worse. But that is still no excuse for my behavior." Spyro's amethyst eyes gazed into Cynder's emerald ones, "I'm truly sorry for what happened back at the main hall. I love you, so much so that I would not change one thing in my life. Life just wouldn't be the same without you."

Cynder felt warmth cover her body at the purple dragon's words. The black dragoness moved closer to the dragon and nuzzled her head into his chin. Spyro smiled wrapping his wings around her body in an embrace.

"I love you too," she said, "I wouldn't change a single thing in my life either."

"Does that mean that you forgive me?"

Cynder smiled, "I forgave you the moment you came back to me."

"And I forgave you the moment I realized I was stupid."

Cynder suppressed a giggle, "You're not stupid, a lot happened today and you let your emotions out."

Spyro pulled his head away, but maintained the embrace. When Cynder looked back at him, he touched his nose with hers. Both dragons smiled and closed their eyes at the contact.


	23. Family

Chapter 23: Family

The door from the student's corridor opened, drawing the attention of all six dragons in the room. Spyro and Cynder walked into the main hall, bodies pressed together and tails intertwined. Shadow and Umbra followed behind the two dragons.

Everyone held happy smiles knowing that everything was mended between the two dragons.

Shadow and Umbra walked over to Ignitus, Incendia, Volteer, and Flare, while Spyro made his way to his parents. Cynder stayed by Spyro's side, but when Spyro was in front of Solar and Sanda, she stepped back.

"How are you feeling?" Sanda asked her long lost son.

"Better, sorry about earlier."

"It is perfectly fine. In fact, we should be the ones apologizing."

"Well, let's start with why you left me."

The statement held no malice like before, it held more curiosity, but it didn't stop the parents from wincing.

"Sorry," Spyro apologized, taking notice of their reactions, "I didn't mean-"

"No," Solar said, "it's fine, you deserve to know what happened that night. But first, it would be best to start a little before the temple."

Sanda nodded, "We were still deciding on if we should take your egg to the temple."

* * *

_"__I'm not sure," Sanda said, looking down at the purple egg that laid against her belly._

_ "__Neither am I," Solar agreed, "but perhaps it would be best for them. The Guardians would give the best advice about the purple dragon."_

_ "__It would be nice to talk to someone who could help us properly raise our child."_

_ "__Besides," Solar said, looking at the egg with a smile, "they would be with other hatchlings when they finally hatch."_

_ "__That would be nice, but I want us to be together as a family. Once everyone finds out that we are the parents of the purple egg, it will be difficult to be alone with them."_

_The fire dragon rubbed his chin with a paw, "Perhaps, though I'm sure the Guardians will be understanding."_

_Silence filled the air for a brief moment, until Sanda spoke, "This may sound crazy, but what if we tried something else?"_

_Solar raised a brow, "Like what?"_

* * *

"We decided to put your egg in the temple without anyone knowing, so we could watch over you without any disturbances," Sanda explained.

Solar continued, "We would be there when you hatched, and we would be able to have time to ourselves as a family before everyone would hound us about the second purple dragon. You would also be able to interact with other dragons your age."

Spyro nodded, "But what happened?"

Both dragons held saddened looks and said in unison, "The apes attacked."

Spyro's head fell, saddened, "What happened? During the attack I mean."

Sanda said, "Most of the parents were escorted away from the temple to safety. Some dragons helped protect the eggs and take them to safety."

Solar took over, "Some dragons helped fight the apes. I was a part of that group while your mother went to safety. We figured that there was no point in both of us getting killed. We couldn't do that to you. For that reason, your mother left to avoid the battle, and I stayed and fought."

"Fortunately," Sanda continued, "there were no casualties, however, many were injured, including your father."

Spyro took notice of the scar on Solar's lower chest.

"It was near the end of the attack. I was tired and got sloppy and an ape stabbed me. I was able to dispose of him, but I was out of the fight."

Sanda spoke, "We reunited in a room where the wounded were. I was scared when I saw the wound, but a gem was able to heal it. However, with the low supply of gems, it didn't heal everything, thus the scar, and it made it difficult for him to move."

Sanda and Solar's faces fell and the fire dragon spoke, "Then we found out. After I was able to move properly, we went to the egg chamber to find your egg. But we heard whispers about something missing. We ignored them, but…"

Sanda continued, eyes watering, "We got to the chamber only to find out that our egg was missing."

The electric dragoness failed to fight the tears that threatened to fall, nuzzling her face into her mate's neck.

Solar nuzzled her to comfort her as he tried to remain calm, "From what was told, there was little time to escort all the eggs to safety, so the Fire Guardian took the purple egg to the nearby river for safety and returned to help fight."

Spyro glanced over at Ignitus, who gave a nod in agreement.

Solar continued, "We had to leave the temple to be by ourselves. I can't remember the last time we had cried so much. It was so difficult on your mother, she spent two days trying to find you but failed. She caught a nasty cold. I couldn't search because my injury still hadn't fully healed yet."

The room remained silent for several moments as all eyes were on the purple dragon, waiting for his reaction.

Spyro thought over everything that had been said. Warmth covered his chest as he felt something he only felt with Cynder and his adopted family. He felt loved. Everything that Sanda and Solar did, or planned to do, was all for him. It was an unfortunate turn of events that lead him down a different path.

Sanda pulled away from her mate and spoke, her voice still shaky, "We're so sorry."

Spyro walked over to his mother and stood in front of her. Then, Spyro embraced her, taking the mother by surprise. Sanda froze for a moment but welcomed the action, and returned it, motherly nuzzling her long lost child, all with a smile. Spyro felt another body join the embrace as Solar joined the embrace.

The bystanders held smiles as the family had their moment.

Spyro pulled away and spoke, "You don't need to apologize, everything you did, it was all for me, and for that I thank you." Spyro glanced over at the six dragons watching, "However, life has been too good for me to change anything. I met many great friends and teachers." The purple dragon glanced over to the black dragoness sitting behind him, "And met the most wonderful dragoness in the realms."

Heat rose to Cynder's cheeks, but her dark scales hid it well.

Sanda and Solar exchanged glances then looking back at their son with proud smiles.

Spyro returned the smile. "I still wonder," Spyro said, curiosity in his voice, "I've been in Warfang's public eye for a little more than four years. Certainly, word reached you. Why wait so long to finally come?"

Solar spoke, "Truth to be told, word didn't come to us until much later. Sometime after the temple raid, we lived in a small city called 'Silverhorn,' which is quite a ways away. It took us a few weeks get to Warfang."

Sanda continued, "We wanted nothing more to finally meet you, but… we had another matter to attend to."

Spyro raised a brow with even more curiosity.

Sanda turned her head, looking behind her, "Come on out, sweetie."

The same movement as before caught Spyro's attention. Slowly, a small, yellow head accompanied by two smooth, white horns, peered from behind Sanda—a little hatchling. The dragoness shared the same brown eyes as her father, which looked at Spyro's own purple ones.

"It's okay, Sorine," Solar said softly.

The young dragoness slowly walked around her mother, showing that she was a darker shade of yellow than her mother. Her underbelly and wing membranes were white, like her mother's. Spyro could easily pick out the traits she inherited from her parents.

Sorine stood between Solar and Sanda, "Hello," her voice was soft, "My name is Sorine."

Spyro gave her a small smile, "My name is Spyro."

"So… you're my big brother?"

Spyro felt warmth in his chest, hearing that from his younger sibling. He answered her with a nod, the smile still on his face.

"How old are you?" she asked curiously.

"I turned twenty a little while ago," he answered, "How old are you?"

"I'm nine, I'll be ten in a few months."

Spyro was a bit surprised. His younger sister was only nine? This could only mean that his parents hadn't had a child for nearly eleven years.

He glanced at his parents, "You waited that long?" he asked, not wanting to discuss any details in front of Sorine.

"Yes," Sanda replied, "losing you… it hurt us. But after several years, one thing lead to another, and we had her."

Sanda and Solar looked down at their daughter with smiles.

Solar spoke, "We saw this as the Ancestors telling us to be the best parents we could."

Spyro nodded understanding, and looked down at young dragoness, "I'm glad, and I'm glad to finally meet you, Sorine."

Sorine walked up to Spyro and nuzzled her head against his chest, pulling herself closer to him.

"I always wanted a brother," she said with a smile.

Spyro closed his eyes to prevent tears from falling, and pulled the little dragoness close.

All the dragons in the hall held smiles as the siblings shared their first embrace. Cynder was happy that her purple dragon finally met his real family, it may have been a rocky first meeting, but everything worked out.

Sorine pulled from the embrace and looked over at the six dragons with curiosity.

"Who are they?" she asked, "Your teachers?"

"Some of them," Spyro answered, "The two fire dragons on the right," he began, leaning down to her level and gestured to the pair, "are Ignitus and his mate Incendia. Ignitus is the one who teaches the fire element to me, and he is the Fire Guardian."

Ignitus and Incendia both nodded to Sorine with smiles.

He moved his paw toward the next pair of dragons, "The yellow one is Volteer, the Electric Guardian and my teacher for electricity. The red dragoness next to him is his mate, Flare. She is also my fire element teacher."

"Hello," Volteer greeted with his usually cheery voice.

Flare gave her a warm smile.

"You are the Electric Guardian?" Sorine asked.

"Yes, I am," Volteer answered.

Sorine smiled, "Do you think you can teach me?" she asked excitedly, her tail moving side to side.

The Guardian was taken slightly aback by the request.

Spyro tried to answer for him, "He has a lot of students, and he is busy as it is."

Sorine's face fell, along with her tail, which laid limp on the ground.

However, Volteer held a smile.

"Actually," he said, getting the little dragonesses attention, "I would not mind at all."

"Really?" Sorine asked, her face lighting up.

"I can make time to teach you a few things. In fact, Spyro can teach you as well."

To the Guardian's surprise, Sorine ran up to him and gave him as big of a hug as she could.

"Thank you, thank you!" she said happily.

Volteer smiled, patting her shoulder, "You are quite welcome."

Sorine skipped back to Spyro happily.

Flare whispered, "That was very kind of you."

"It is my duty to teach the young ones about their elemental abilities. Besides, it will be nice to teach the basics again."

When Sorine was at Spyro's side she gave him a smile, letting him know that he could continue.

"And the two black dragons are Shadow and Umbra."

Both dragons smiled at the little dragoness.

Sorine turned her head to the last dragon in the room, "And who is she?"

Spyro turned to look at who Sorine was talking about. Upon seeing Cynder, he smiled, "She is Cynder, Shadow and Umbra's daughter."

"Hi, Sorine," Cynder greeted.

Spyro looked at his sister and added, "She is also my girlfriend."

Sorine looked up to her older brother, "Really?"

To answer, Cynder walked over to Spyro and planted a kiss on his cheek, causing heat to rise to his face. Sorine giggled at her brother's reaction.

"Yes," Cynder answered.

"You're really pretty," Sorine stated with a smile.

Cynder smiled at the comment, "Thank you, you are pretty too."

The little dragoness giggled and asked, "Where did you two meet?"

"In this room, actually," the black dragoness answered.

"Was it love at first sight?" Sorine asked.

"What?" Spyro and Cynder asked in unison.

"Mom and dad used to always read and tell me stories about a dragon and a dragoness falling in love when they first met," the yellow dragoness said. She paused for a second and repeated the question, genuinely curious, "Was it love at first sight?"

Spyro and Cynder looked into each other's eyes for a brief moment, before smiling lovingly at each other.

"Yes," they both said, "yes it was."

* * *

"Really?" Glacia asked Blaze.

The fire dragon nodded, "Yeah, dad cancelled our training session."

The four apprentices were in the dining room. All were wondering why training had stopped.

Volt jumped in, "Same here. Volteer said that we would have not training and left. I met up with Blaze here and waited for you and Terrain."

The earth apprentice asked, "Did they give a reason? They usually do."

Blaze and Volt shook their heads.

Blaze replied, "Dad only said that something came up."

Volt nodded in agreement.

"That's odd," the lone dragoness said, looking at Volt, "Volteer is making you train more, right?"

"Yeah, and that's the strange part; we are going through a lot of long training sessions, and suddenly he gives me a break. Something must have come up."

The door to the dining room opened, drawing the attention of the four apprentices. At the door stood Ignitus and Incendia. The four dragons made their way over to the Fire Guardian and his mate.

When they stood in front of the pair, Ignitus spoke, "I assume that Blaze and Volt have already told you that Volteer and I had cancelled our training sessions."

The younger dragons nodded in agreement.

"Did something happen?" Terrain asked.

"Yes," the Guardian said, "but nothing bad." Ignitus let a smile appear on his face, "If anything, it is wonderful."

"What is it?" all four dragons asked in unison.

Incendia smiled, "Spyro's family have arrived."

The dragons exchanged confused glances.

Blaze spoke, "It's always nice when Spyro's family shows up, but what is so different?"

Incendia continued, "That's because it is Spyro's real family that is here."

Each apprentice held a look of shock and all unanimously asked, "What?!"

* * *

"That's amazing!" Sorine said, excitedly.

The newly united family was spending a little time to themselves in the temple's gardens. Spyro was demonstrating some electricity techniques to his sister.

"Eventually," he explained, "you will be able to use different parts of your body to give off electricity. Like this…"

Spyro brought up a paw, and sparks of electricity surrounded his paw.

"Wow," Sorine said, amazed, "Did the Electric Guardian teach you that?"

Spyro let the electricity die down until it vanished, "Yeah, he did."

"Mom can do that too."

"Now Sorine," Sanda said with a small smile, "what have I said about boasting?"

"It's better for others to talk about how good you are, than for you to do it yourself," the little dragoness replied. "But, I'm talking about you, not me."

Spyro chuckled to himself, remembering a similar talk he and Sparx had with his adoptive mother.

"You learned so much," Sanda said, impressed by Spyro's abilities.

"It's stunning," Solar added, "How old were you when you first found your elements?"

"I first breathed fire when I was fifteen."

The statement was shocking to Solar and Sanda.

"Fifteen?" Solar asked, "How did you learn so much in only five years?"

Sorine spoke for Spyro, "It's because he learned from the Guardians." She glanced at her older brother, "Right?"

Spyro smiled, "That is true."

"So you learned fire first." Solar stated with pride, giving his mate a smirk, "I told you."

Sanda only smiled back, "Yes, you did."

"Don't worry mom," the purple dragon said, "I learned electricity not long after."

Sanda smiled, but it died as she glanced at the ground.

Sorine took notice, "What's wrong, mom?"

"I just, I had always imagined that it would have been me to would teach you electricity. I used to always daydream about what we would do."

"I understand what you mean," her mate said, brushing his snout against her cheek, "As parents, we should have been the ones to show you the stepping stones of your elements. But things didn't go that way."

Sanda smiled, "But everything worked out, right?"

Spyro returned the smile, "Yeah."

"But mom," Sorine said, "you still teach me!"

The family shared a laugh.

"Yes, Sorine," the older electric dragoness said, "but I thought that you wanted to learn from the Electric Guardian."

"I do, but I love learning from you."

Sanda learned down and kissed her daughter on the forehead.

"You can always watch Volteer and Volt spar," Spyro said.

Sorine turned to her older brother, "Who is Volt?"

"He is Volteer's apprentice for Electric Guardian."

The sound of multiple paws got the attention of the newly united family. The four dragons looked over to see the apprentices running to them.

The yellow dragon spoke first, "Spyro, is it true?"

The four dragons came to a halt when they reached the family.

Spyro raised a brow, "Is what true?"

"Don't play dumb," Blaze said, "Is it true that your real family is here."

Spyro nodded, "Yes, who told you?"

"Mom and dad did."

"Mom and Dad?" Sanda asked her mate, who shrugged.

Sorine pressed against her mother in comfort, a little shy around the new dragons.

Spyro answered, "Yes, Blaze," he pointed at the fire dragon, "is Incendia and Ignitus' son."

Sorine looked at her brother, "You mean the older fire dragon and dragoness?"

Spyro nodded, giving the little electric dragoness a reassuring smile, which made her more comfortable.

Spyro glanced back at his friends, "Everyone," turned his parents, "This is Solar and Sanda. My father and mother."

"It's nice to meet you," Sanda said with a smile.

"It's great to know that Spyro has good friends."

"Thank you," all four said in unison.

Spyro looked down at his little sister, "And this is Sorine, my little sister."

"Hi, everyone," Sorine said, shyness evident in her voice.

Glacia spoke softly, "I'm glad to meet you Sorine. My name is Glacia." She turned to Blaze, giving him a bump with her hip, "I'm this big lug's girlfriend."

Blaze gave the ice dragoness a goofy smile, causing the electric dragoness to giggle at the pair's antics.

Terrain spoke, "My name is Terrain."

Volt jumped in with a bright smile, "I'm Volt, it's nice to meet you."

"They are apprentices to become the next Guardians."

"Wow," Sorine said in awe, shifting her attention to Volt. "So you are the next Electric Guardian?"

"Yes, I am," Volt replied, wondering why the little dragoness was so interested.

Spyro answered for him, "She is really interested in her element."

"Oh," Volt said looking back at the dragoness.

Sorine looked at Spyro and Volt, "What else can you do?"

Spyro smiled, "Well, when you get older and better with your element, you will be able to do much more."

"Like what?" the sister asked, her tail swaying back and forth with excitement.

Spyro glanced at Volt, "Care to help me demonstrate?"

The Electric Apprentice smiled, "Of course."

* * *

Meanwhile, Flare and Volteer sat on their haunches on the roof of the temple, watching over the family and friends.

"This is perfect," Flare said to her mate, "I'm so happy that they are getting along so well."

"Indeed," Volteer nodded with a smile.

Flare nuzzled her head underneath his chin, "It was nice of you to offer to teach Sorine a few things."

"It's no trouble at all," He replied, "It's been a long time since I taught young dragons. Besides," Volteer rubbed Flare's belly with his paw, "it will be good preparation for the little ones."

He earned kiss on the cheek from his mate, "I'm glad that you're thinking that far ahead."

"It's what I do."

A thunderous roar cut the conversation as a bolt of lightning shot into the sky. The pair's eyes were on the family, as the little dragoness stood in 'aw' at her brother and Volt's abilities.

The Electric Guardian glanced at his mate, "Let's leave them be."

Flare nodded, and the pair made their way back into the temple, leaving the finally united family with friends. Mother and father held smiles, as brother and sister continued to form their bond.

* * *

AN: Holy shit, I'm so sorry it took so long for this to come out. I had school, vacation, school, got sick, and had writer's block. Thank you all for your patience (I sure as hell don't have any). As always, enjoy and review, and I'll hopefully post much sooner than this.


End file.
